By Dave Bennett

Recently, not by choice, I have been forced to put my Sole training on the back burner and give more attention to my Heart. My heart attack was quite a shock but I am lucky that I was allowed this pre warning of the need to look after more than my walking. Initially it was frustrating because after the first indigestion like pain on Wednesday evening I was at my GP's the very next morning before he even got there. He did an ECG and said no urgent need to rush to hospital. After a further visit on Thursday afternoon he gave me the usual lecture but pronounced "there is nothing wrong with your heart".

I was quite relaxed until Friday afternoon when more pains resulted in a phone call to said GP, who said I should head for the nearest pharmacy where he would prescribe something for Reflux. At Clicks I could hardly stand (don't know what Pharmacist thought but customers were quite concerned).

Antoinette was not happy so we went off to her GP who did another ECG while I had pains across my chest from one wrist to the other wrist. She pronounced "no immediate problem" but did at least make an appointment with a Cardiologist for Monday. After 7pm the pain got worse and worse and eventually it was off to Entabeni where the 3rd ECG showed a mild heart attack. I was quite relaxed now but by the time I got into the ICU I was having another attack and by then the Cardiologist was there having brought his Monday appointment up somewhat to 10pm Friday. He was very aggressive and slowly (albeit very expensively) managed to unblock the arteries that he felt were blocked.

The medicines get more and more expensive. You start with Disprin (which everybody over 40 should have half a tablet every day) then the next injection is R500, when 2 of them don't do the trick, another 2 at R1500 each. When they don't work, they give the real Mackoy which cost a whopping R6 400 for per injection. It was worth every penny and I was asleep by midnight. No pain for the rest of the weekend so no more panic.

The Angiogram was scheduled for 8am Monday where I was awake while a catheter was fed from my leg, through my heart to the Aorta where dyes are shot down each artery and pictures taken. All narrowing arteries show up and fortunately in my case it was only 3.5 cm long so I could have a stent, a spring like tube that is pushed up the catheter and positioned so that it keeps the artery wide open. Any narrowing much longer requires a bypass.

Cause is not really specified as my cholesterol is not really too high but I do now have to drop it. In engineering terms I was trying to pump syrup through a straw and now the stent and medication means I am pumping water through big pipes. In theory I am in better shape now than I was in November. I do however have a smaller artery slightly blocked but as it is only 1.7mm wide a stent cannot be inserted. But the heart is amazing. I now have to walk, and in doing so the other thinner arteries will slowly get bigger and supply the required blood flow to that part of the heart which is now being undersupplied.

Overall my advice: Any pain in the chest - head directly to Entabeni or Westville do not pass go and certainly DO NOT bother with your GP's 20 year old ECG. Rather make a fool of yourself having Reflux than take the chance you might just have nowhere for your blood to go. The pain is like a 80kg person standing on your chest. Other advice - make sure your medical aid is up to date. Total hospital cost was R86 000.