How would you know?

I had a suspected stroke or heart attack back in 1991 or 92. I had ridden a bicycle about a thirty kilometers in forty degree centigrade heat. I have already noted that there are a pile of painful disabilities in this old body, plus diabetes and some other things so it was a hard slog even had it not been hot. A really, god damned hard slog actually

Arriving at the front door my chest felt as though a stone had been shoved under my ribs. My left arm and face tingled furiously and started to go numb.

I took some Aspirin and drank some water before laying full length on the sofa in the blast of an electric fan. My thoughts were simple. “Uh oh, here we go. I wonder if this could be bad?” I decided I didn’t care and fell asleep.

Waking up was a surprise! I was prepared to die and fully expected it. To be honest I had been in pain and struggling with it on my own for years. Dying seemed like a blessing. (sometimes SEEMS like a blessing even now)

I was fragile for a few days and when I went to see the doctor to try and convince him to diagnose my diabetes as diabetes I also mentioned I had chest pain and was flattened for a while

The diabetes thing went on for years. I told him I thought I had it. He looked at me and said “No way!” One day a locum was in his office and I said “Diabetes I think!” He said he could do a blood test and did and he discovered (as I had been saying) I had diabetes.

Anyway I am getting ahead of myself

The GP sent me to a cardiologist over near Wyong Hospital. That guy took some measurements and then pointed at a walking machine and told me to stand there while he wired me up.

I have mentioned I am disabled haven’t I? I can peddle a bike or I can use it like a walking frame but I cannot walk very far at all.

I explained this to the specialist who seemed to be gritting his teeth as though he thought I was making things difficult on purpose. He told me that the nearest cycling machine was many miles away and probably not for my use. I asked him if there was any way I could get a better test. He said no and looked disgusted! I never did find out if I had a stroke or not. The medical professionals I have met have been largely like that. Some notable exceptions like my present medico and his staff! And some medicos at Gosford Hospital who were superb. Every nurse I ever met except one has been fine to wonderful. Okay, so its more like fifty-fifty.

I write this stuff down for several reasons apart from the fact that I like talking about myself.

One reason is that there have been regular attempts to create a smart-card for identification and to keep medical records. Probably two out of the thirty or so doctors I have seen in my life kept records which were even vaguely accurate. In this case a doctor might say that there was never any sign of heart problems or heat prostration because there is no official record. I have suffered heat prostration several times.

Another reason might be that I rang for an ambulance one night after my face and left arm went into spasms of pins and needles and then lost feeling. There was a knot in my chest (pain) This is a long story (I will write it up another time) but basically I had to beg doctors at Wyong Hospital to do any testing at all, then force to rewrite a discharge summary that made false assertions about my reason for being hospitalized, then I was told that a scan of my neck would show any problems and when it came up negative I was told that I was probably imagining it or lying!

Did I mention I have seriously damaged bones in my neck? No sign of the broken and crushed disks in that scan. Can damaged cartilage at the top of the spine cause those physical conditions. Because there was no written record of this kind of trouble my claims were even further trivialized

Just to give a clearer idea of how bad this gets I had one doctor who asked me if I did any exercise. I had been forced to take an agonizing walk to get to her and when I joked about that she entered the fact that I was a walker! So imagine a man is sitting in front of a new doctor and saying that he is in too much pain to walk far. The doctor looks into the records and sees that another doctor has written I walk for exercise. Good Grief!

Ah hell I am rambling. I can barely sit upright but if I lay down for rest I am alone with the pain so I am trying to keep moving even if its only my typing fingers.

(In the later March 2011 entries there are reports of tests taken then that showed a weakened heart due to attacks and cardiovascular disease. Stints are being placed in damaged arteries in mud ro late may 2011)