Paul and Janine thankful for ‘stars aligning’ after heart attack
Installing a backyard pool on the aptly named Sunshine Coast is commonplace, but for Buderim resident Paul, shortness of breath during the process was foreshadowing for what was to be an unforeseen, life-changing experience.
On a sunny Thursday in mid-May, Paul and wife Janine were preparing their newly installed pool, when things started to turn pear-shaped.
“Janine was sweeping the pool and I was bringing chemicals from the garage,” Paul said. “I felt short of breath, so came inside and had a glass of water, but I really didn’t feel great.”
After Paul had laid down for a few minutes, he called out to Janine for help. She took one look at him and that was it – she called triple zero.
Paul was having a heart attack.
“Queensland Ambulance Service was here within five minutes – that was one of the stars that aligned for me that day."
Paul wasn’t in good shape when the paramedics arrived.
“I hadn’t realised I was 50 shades of grey – and not the erotic type at all,” he said.
The paramedics stabilised Paul enough for transportation, with the Buderim Private Hospital fortunately less than 10 minutes away. Janine was in the second ambulance, following behind. Being a physiotherapist, she understood the ‘ambulance talk.’
“It wasn’t a good situation, but it was fantastic to watch people who are very good at their job and see how efficient and well they worked together,” she said.
Paul can’t remember much of the next few hours, although he does remember Dr Mike Natale “holding my head and having a chat”. Coincidentally, the pair had first met only a few months beforehand when Paul made a trip to the Buderim ED after shattering his finger in a rock-versus-rock gardening incident.
While Paul has minimal memory of the details following his admission in May, Janine said the next few hours were spent in the waiting area, anxious, but grateful for regular updates.
“At that stage I was trying not to think too much about what was actually happening… it was all very surreal,” she said. “I remember the nurse, Cindy, standing with me and chatting to me. Every doctor would come and talk to me, explaining what they needed to do. Dr Mike came out frequently to let me know what stage they were at. I was kept very well informed.”
From the doctors and nurses to the chaplain, to all the reception staff, Janine said the level of genuine care directed towards her had been incredible.
“All of the reception staff and nurses were fantastic. Everyone kept checking on me, asking if I needed a glass of water or a cup of tea," Janine said.
“For me, everyone went beyond what they needed to do – and that was so appreciated in our situation.”
The situation beyond the waiting room was serious. In the ED it took quite some time to get Paul’s heart started again before he could be transferred to ICU.
Despite Paul having a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and normal cholesterol levels, doctors had found a blockage in his heart. This meant Paul’s chance of having a heart attack had been a case of ‘not if but when.’
Paul survived the night and was greeted by many staff checking in on him the next day.
“The following morning, one of the women from hospital management came down to see how I was doing and say hello. That really touched me, to be honest,” Paul said.
“Ultimately it was a job well done by the team on the day. All of them – they did what they normally do. I was just fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of their skills that day.”
Paul stayed in hospital for just over a week and now says he’s “very fortunate to have survived.”
“I’m thankful for what happened because it’s made me appreciate the simple things more than what I did before,” he said.
With the swimming pool now finished and Paul temporarily banned from working in the garden, he is taking things easy. He is also into a six-week cardiac rehab program.
“I’m working my way back and will see where that takes me,” Paul said.