Kitchen Garden Forum

I have not been on the forum for a while as I have been too busy with other things. I have missed checking in each day to see what is happening as things start to get moving now in the garden.

My mother in law had a heart attack last wednesday. She said that she had not felt well since Monday. Pain in the chest, tightness, what she thought was a sore throat was also a sign of a heart attack. She was up in the early hours of Tuesday morning and also Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

She did not realise that she was having a heart attack, she rang my OH on Wednesday morning saying she did not feel well and when he got there 10 minutes later he rang for an ambulance. It snowed here on Wednesday morning and the road outside her house had not been gritted. So when the ambulance arrived in no time at all, they ordered a air amulance. She was in the hospital in no time at all.

Her treatment has been brilliant and she is looking a lot better, thank goodness. Still waiting to go to Blackpool Hospital where she has to have an angiogram. Only place to do it apparently.

She will be home some time next week.

What it has done is make us think about what we eat, less pastry, less cheese, more veggies etc. A bit of a wake up call I think.

Catherine, wishing your mother inlaw well, my mother had a heart attack a year ago, she had no chest pain, just collapsed, the elderly often don't get classic symptoms, but modern treatments are very good. Welcome back.

Dear Catherine, so sorry to read what you, your Husband and your poor Mother in law have been through.
They really do seem to be able to do miracles these days, so let's hope your M.I.L makes the quickest of recoveries.

I think it certainly does give us all a bit of a wake up call when something like this happens in the family.

My thoughts are with you.

Thank you NB and OH. My MIL did not realise she was having a heart attack even though she was having classic symptoms, she thought that it was arthritis in her arm and was treating it with creams. I am just glad she is ok as she is a really lovely person and I would hate to lose her. She is 78 and looks 58 she had a broken leg in December 2008 and managed to get through that so this is just another hurdle to get through.

Well your Husband is very lucky to have two lovely ladies in his life then.

Thought that might make you smile.

Thank you OH

Best wishes from me too Catherine. I know hospital visiting can be exhausting so look after yourself too.

And all good wishes from me too, Catherine. A little tip: if you are on your own and you suspect you are having a heart attack, COUGH. This stimulates the muscles around the heart in the same way as heart massage. There are stories of people saving their own lives like this, as they are able to phone for an ambulance in between coughs.

Thanks for your best wishes Mike and Glalloments.

We are waiting for a phone call from the hospital as my MIL was taken at 8am this morning to Blackpool hospital for an angiogram and was supposed to be back at 5pm. It is now 6.20 and we still have not heard if she is back on the ward. We had to ring the hospital twice to make sure that when she was being transferred between hospital she is well wrapped up. In December 2008 she broke her head of femur and was operated on on the Tuesday and then moved to the local community hospital on the Friday. She was moved in her dressing gown and nighty three days after her op. sitting up and with no blanket or any other covering. It took her 2 and a half hours to get to the community hospital (it is 25 minutes between hospitals normally) and then because they were busy she was left on the bed and given a cold glass of water.

As usual because she was elderly she would not complain as she was afraid of upsetting the staff.

So now we are being more proactive and making sure that this does not happen again.

I don't blame you for being proactive about this, Catherine. A good tactic, which I've known to be used in another context, is to say "If you don't treat this patient as she and we have a right to expect, when I next visit her my solicitor will be with me, together with a reporter and photographer from the local paper." The paper will be keen to oblige, if it comes to that, and if solicitor's fees are a problem, anyone can be introduced as a lawyer or what have you. The tactic worked in the past.

Gosh Mike, i better be careful i don't supply you with any wrong information.

All joking apart, its a shame it does seem to boil down to these tactics with so many things in life these days.

I hope everything went ok with your mother-in-law, Catherine, and she'll soon be home again and on the mend!

Unfortunately we have learned yesterday that she needs a triple heart bypass. We are waiting to hear when she will be having it done. She is still in hospital. Our fingers are crossed that she will have it done before she is sent home as I think that if she came home she might not want to go back again.

She thought that it might be okay if she completely changed her diet but that is not the case, this has been coming on for years and I have got to say it has made us look closely at our diet.

I must admit Mike I like your idea. It made me laugh just to have been able to do it in 2008.

She has still not been given any cough medicine even though we asked for it on Sunday AND Monday.

Catherine, sorry to hear about your MIL. My MIL had a similar thing a year ago and ended up with a heart bypass too. She is of a similar age to your MIL. She has fully recovered and is back playing bowls and bridge and generally living life to the full. The cardiac treatments are amazing these days - I hope all goes well for your MIL - best wishes to you and your family.

Thank you Haggis that has given me hope that things will be okay. I think I am ageing as we speak with the stress. Stupid person that I am I get very stressed very easily.