Tony and Judy tell their story
Tony Galbraith was just 45 when he had his
heart attack. There was no pain, but he felt very ill and had
turned white.
Waking up in hospital was, he says now, the scariest time
of his life.
Positive change
How long will I survive? Will my heart get better? Low cholesterol diet, what does that mean? Can you have sex again? Who’s going to give me this information?
In hospital, Tony was told he was having a heart attack, but it didn’t really sink in. The
next day was when he suddenly realised that things were going to
change.
Tony was plagued by questions about his future.
He was given a BHF leaflet in
hospital, which explained in simple terms many of the things he was
unsure of.
Tony also got a BHF nurse, who he says was
'wonderful'. She was there for him as long as he needed, either in
person or on the phone. Tony kept in touch with her for nearly nine
months.
He calls our Heart HelpLine a
"lifeline".
"It was nice to have somewhere to go where you could ask
questions and not have people think you were being
stupid."
Tony's come a long way, and he's made his decision. He says:
"Come what may, I'm not going there again. I’ve got to be aware
for the rest of my life."
A little understanding
Tony was so ill when he came home from hospital that his wife
Judy was the one who contacted us and did most of
the research into his condition.
She felt panicked when the hospital said Tony could go home.
Judy says: "We both thought, we're not ready for this. We don't
know what to do next."
But their Heart Nurse was "absolutely amazing".
"She really kept us going for the first few weeks. It’s like
having a friend really. A friend who understood and didn't
judge."
Tony’s heart attack affected not only him, but the rest of the
family too. Their heart nurse was "good fun", says Judy, and helped
them get their sense of humour back too.
