It will be a Sunday I won't forget in a hurry, and, no doubt will the members of Shenley Christian Fellowship.
I left Carol asleep and left a note for her to see when she woke up and drove off as I usually do at around 8.40 a.m. on my way to S.C.F. One horrible driver coming up far too close behind me as I make my way along Chaffron Way. Why do some drivers think it's acceptable to do this, attempting to make you drive far too fast? I avoided him by going round a roundabout and returning to my route before the turning for the National Bowl where this driver was heading as he soon joined the queue of cars entering that site. So, after all that he had to slow down. Stupid really. This type of behaviour only increases any stress which is not good if you have heart-health problems, which leads well into what was to happen later. Some people just want to control the road, always want to be in front, always need to cause stress.
I should say that I'd had a few attacks of angina over the days leading up to Sunday. We'd walked down to the gardens at Stowe along the Bell Entrance drive (all described in a previous post.) and had to stop to use my G.T.N. spray (Glyceryl Trinitrate), which usually works sufficiently for me to continue. Then, over Saturday into Sunday night I got a few more 'attacks', not anything to be really too concerned about. I also got a bout of indigestion which I dealt with by taking a Zantac tablet which seemed to relieve the discomfort. I should say, when I had the first heart attack in 2006 I did find it difficult to differentiate between the feelings in my chest of indigestion and the actual heart attack, both are very similar and in much the same position in the centre of my chest. But there was no crushing pain and I never had any pain in my arms or any other part of my body, nor any sweating which are supposed to be signs of a heart attack as described by others and given in any information on the internet or literature which deal with any symptoms.
Anyway, to jump forward to Sunday at S.C.F. The service began as usual at 9.15 (for the first of two Sunday services, the second beginning at 11.15 a.m.) I didn't feel any discomfort at that particular time and we started off with about 25 minutes or so of worship songs. Then, just as Ross Dilnot, our Pastor, got up to begin his sermon (probably at around 9.50) I got a slight twinge in my chest, and, in an attempt to avoid an angina attack. I discreetly used my G.T.N. spray which I had with me in my trousers' pocket.
I have no idea exactly what happened next, nor the time-scale of events, but the next thing I recollect was lying on the floor, with people standing or kneeling around me, with the service ground to a halt. It was an odd position for me to be in, staring at the ceiling and having people looking at me. Having at one moment being standing facing forward in church, to then coming round at floor-level was somewhat mystifying, to say the least, when at first you don't know how you got there. I had collapsed, no doubt because of my blood pressure falling because I'd used the G.T.N spray too often. I'm not sure I had the heart attack then. I didn't feel any pain in my chest, just a sort of tightness, as if I was being sat on. (I don't really know how else to describe it.) Someone put me into a recovery position (having been trained in First Aid myself I know this procedure.) and having some questions asked of me, such as, 'where was the pain?' and so on. I don't remember anything else, but I certainly don't recall collapsing. So someone must have seen all this going on, as they had moved the chairs out of the way around me. Then the paramedics arrived, so someone had obviously rung for an ambulance. The paramedics then too over my care. I am so grateful to everyone at S.C.F. Everyone seemed to know how to deal with my First Aid. I don't know in particular who was First Aid trained and knew to put me in a recovery position and handed over to the paramedics when they arrived. Don't ask me how quickly they came, from the original 999 call, but it must have been quick.
I left Carol asleep and left a note for her to see when she woke up and drove off as I usually do at around 8.40 a.m. on my way to S.C.F. One horrible driver coming up far too close behind me as I make my way along Chaffron Way. Why do some drivers think it's acceptable to do this, attempting to make you drive far too fast? I avoided him by going round a roundabout and returning to my route before the turning for the National Bowl where this driver was heading as he soon joined the queue of cars entering that site. So, after all that he had to slow down. Stupid really. This type of behaviour only increases any stress which is not good if you have heart-health problems, which leads well into what was to happen later. Some people just want to control the road, always want to be in front, always need to cause stress.
I should say that I'd had a few attacks of angina over the days leading up to Sunday. We'd walked down to the gardens at Stowe along the Bell Entrance drive (all described in a previous post.) and had to stop to use my G.T.N. spray (Glyceryl Trinitrate), which usually works sufficiently for me to continue. Then, over Saturday into Sunday night I got a few more 'attacks', not anything to be really too concerned about. I also got a bout of indigestion which I dealt with by taking a Zantac tablet which seemed to relieve the discomfort. I should say, when I had the first heart attack in 2006 I did find it difficult to differentiate between the feelings in my chest of indigestion and the actual heart attack, both are very similar and in much the same position in the centre of my chest. But there was no crushing pain and I never had any pain in my arms or any other part of my body, nor any sweating which are supposed to be signs of a heart attack as described by others and given in any information on the internet or literature which deal with any symptoms.
Anyway, to jump forward to Sunday at S.C.F. The service began as usual at 9.15 (for the first of two Sunday services, the second beginning at 11.15 a.m.) I didn't feel any discomfort at that particular time and we started off with about 25 minutes or so of worship songs. Then, just as Ross Dilnot, our Pastor, got up to begin his sermon (probably at around 9.50) I got a slight twinge in my chest, and, in an attempt to avoid an angina attack. I discreetly used my G.T.N. spray which I had with me in my trousers' pocket.
I have no idea exactly what happened next, nor the time-scale of events, but the next thing I recollect was lying on the floor, with people standing or kneeling around me, with the service ground to a halt. It was an odd position for me to be in, staring at the ceiling and having people looking at me. Having at one moment being standing facing forward in church, to then coming round at floor-level was somewhat mystifying, to say the least, when at first you don't know how you got there. I had collapsed, no doubt because of my blood pressure falling because I'd used the G.T.N spray too often. I'm not sure I had the heart attack then. I didn't feel any pain in my chest, just a sort of tightness, as if I was being sat on. (I don't really know how else to describe it.) Someone put me into a recovery position (having been trained in First Aid myself I know this procedure.) and having some questions asked of me, such as, 'where was the pain?' and so on. I don't remember anything else, but I certainly don't recall collapsing. So someone must have seen all this going on, as they had moved the chairs out of the way around me. Then the paramedics arrived, so someone had obviously rung for an ambulance. The paramedics then too over my care. I am so grateful to everyone at S.C.F. Everyone seemed to know how to deal with my First Aid. I don't know in particular who was First Aid trained and knew to put me in a recovery position and handed over to the paramedics when they arrived. Don't ask me how quickly they came, from the original 999 call, but it must have been quick.
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