Journal:
Foreword:
Referring back to my previous post "This Morning's Walk", December 4th 2011. I continued to walk, not everyday, but most and the pain slowly increased. As instructed by my GP, I began to use my Nitrolingual spray, which I always carry with me. Halfway round my walking circuit I sprayed 2 shots under my tongue and this carried me home. In the following days the pain in my forearm and shoulder slowly increased, I needed more shots of the spray to reach home. Then came the day the pain would not go away.....

Tuesday December 13 2011.
As the day passed, the pain slowly reduced and I spent spent most of the day in my armchair. What to do next.... ? I went to bed just after 10pm but did not feel comfortable, I turned on my side and then the other. I then I turned onto my back and that felt worse. As I lay on my back I felt an uncomfortable weight on my chest. After a few minutes I thought I can't stand this for long, I sat up on the edge of the bed and remembered the last time I had felt that weight on my chest many years ago.

I needed the Ambulance. I called Pat who was still watching TV. She called the Triage nurse direct, who asked  a few questions and directed Pat to call the Ambulance number  immediately. Doing it this way hastens the dispatch of an Ambulance in busy times. The St. John's Ambulance  was quickly dispatched and the told Pat to stay on the phone and the ambulance would be hooked into the phone line for instructions during their journey. The ambulance asked the outside lights to be switched on and "was the house down a right-of-way" and "was there any obstructions". Next they advised they were in Sandwich Rd and would be there in a few minutes.

I was checked out by the 2 crew members and then I was quickly rushed into the ambulance and away. The time was now 11pm. Arriving at Waikato Hospital I was  ushered into a waiting cubicle. A blood sample was taken and sometime later the results came back, I had indeed had something wrong.

During the early morning hours a medical luer was fitted to my arm and I was given a morphine injection by a male nurse accompanied by a young female doctor. Unfortunately all my veins in the area went bright red, my body rejected the morphine injection. I heard the voice of the male nurse say "quick, give him the counteract-ant", he's dropping rapidly... 57, still dropping fast, face now white". I think I started to faint, I could still hear the voices. The only voice I remember said "starting to slow" and then "stabilising" followed by"starting rise slowly" and then, sometime later "colour starting to return". The voice later said, "that was a roller coaster".

I felt washed out and had a strong pain in the vicinity of my solar-plexus which started to slowly reduce after about an hour or so. I lay there, on my back, the male nurse queried if I was OK and I answered... yes. He said he was going to leave me for now and that I was monitored, someone would periodically call to check me.

Wednesday December 14 2011.
Around 6 am the male nurse returned and said I was to be taken up to the CCU1 ward.