ENDLESS TAKE TWO

Weekend Writing Prompt #172 – Endless

SATURDAY 29th AUGUST 2020

ENDLESS TAKE TWO 

by John Yeo

Endless beating of an aged heart

Heart attack!, panic stations,

Emergency ambulance, 

Hospital ward. Operation. 

Stent inserted. 

Stabilisation.

(18 WORDS)

REALITY STRIKES HARD

,

Emergency overcome! ❤️

by John Yeo

Life goes by like lightning as the happy years unfurl and seem to drift by at the speed of light. The cruising holiday went well, we toured around some popular ports around the Mediterranean Sea. The food was plentiful and available in many forms.
The carefree consumption of many high fat, high risk food didn’t concern me. I have always been an extremely fit man, indulging in some healthy exercise on my allotment, in our garden and on the club bowling green. With an always optimistic outlook on life I was sure I would contentedly go on forever.

We were at our Bowls Club when the first signs of something untoward occurred, although I suspect the signs and warnings were already there, silent and unrecognised.
I stood at the edge of the bowling green where I suddenly became aware of a strange pain in my chest. I immediately sat down and began to take some deep breaths, I suspected I was suffering from a bout of indigestion. My wife Margaret, asked if I was alright and I nodded and said,

“Don’t worry, I have a funny pain, probably just a touch of indigestion.”
I took a drink of water and after a few minutes the pain seemed to disappear.

We played a great game of bowls together, we were drawn to play on the same side and we gave each other the support we needed to win the match.

We returned home and enjoyed a super-tasty chicken meal, prepared by Margaret. After an evening spent watching television we went to bed.

At 01.30, I woke with a pain in my chest and neck, about ten times worse than the pain I had suffered at the Bowls Club. Margaret woke and became concerned,
“Do you have pain radiating down your arm?”

“No!” I replied. “just a funny pain in my chest and my neck.”

Margaret then decided to immediately telephone 111; NHS Choices.
Margaret spoke to an efficient operator, who advised I take 4 Aspirin, chewing them as opposed to swallowing them for a faster effect. The operator then telephoned for an ambulance.
A paramedic arrived within 10 minutes closely followed by an emergency ambulance. My pulse was taken, my blood pressure was measured and an ECG was done which proved to be slightly abnormal.
The ambulance personnel then informed me I would have to go to the Norfolk and Norwich hospital for further tests. Margaret decided to drive herself to the hospital to give me some support.
On the way to hospital, I had a further four ECG readings which were still showing an abnormal reading, with many other tests. The young lady paramedic was polite and caring and extremely efficient, as she filled in her forms collating the readings and information.

The ambulance arrived at the A&E department, where I was subjected to a barrage of further tests and several blood samples were taken for analysis in the lab. I waited on a trolley for around half an hour before Margaret arrived, bringing several things for me in case I was admitted to hospital. I was really happy to see her.
After about another half an hour doctor arrived and said,

“You have had a heart attack, we are waiting for some results of blood tests from the lab. I am afraid you will have to stay in hospital for a few days.”

The doctor then turned to Margaret and said she should go home and sleep as things may take a while from here.

An hour later, after a further chat with the Doctor,
I found myself in bed, in the male admissions assessment ward. This was an experience that I will remember for a long time to come. I was shown to a bed next to a window, with a pleasant view of the greenery in the hospital grounds.

Copyright © written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.