"Heart attack on Arran"

Arran

Whilst playing golf on Lamlash golf course my dad felt very unwell. When I arrived I could see that he was actually seriously unwell. As Lamlash a&e was just a 2 minute drive away I put my dad in the car & dashed to Lamlash Hospital.

Upon arrival my dad was seen within minutes. After a short period of time I was taken to where my dad was. The team had diagnosed a heart attack & the medical team were in the process of treating him and requesting an air ambulance to airlift him to Glasgow Jubilee Hospital.

The nurse caring for my dad had in fact just hours earlier treated my friend's daughter with a split chin. She was kind & reassuring, whilst busily attending to all of my dad's needs.

The paramedic crew who arrived to transfer my dad to the helicopter were professional & reassuring & explained where we needed to go to see my dad on to the helicopter. They took my mum along in the ambulance too & supported her as much as my dad.

On arriving at the helipad, we were met by the helicopter crew who reassured us that dad would be in the cath lab in around 20 minutes receiving the vital treatment he needed. They quickly transferred my dad into the helicopter, with an air of quiet competence, mixed with humour that actually had my dad chuckling at times despite the pain & fear he was experiencing. They explained to us exactly where dad would be taken & what we needed to do to get there. They then secured my dad in the helicopter & the aircraft flew off across the Clyde.

When we arrived at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital we found my dad on the coronary care unit, he had already had his coronary angioplasty and was recovering well. He was comfortable & feeling considerably better than he had when leaving Arran. The nurses were checking on him regularly & were doing all they could to reassure him & keep him comfortable. They explained to us his procedure & the plan for his care. As it was very late when we arrived, the nurses asked myself & my mum where we were staying. As we had not had a chance to arrange accommodation, the nurse rang the attached hotel & booked us a room explaining that we had a relative on their unit. They gave us the direct dial number & reassured us that dad was doing well.

The following day dad had improved considerably & given the acute nature of their unit they explained that he would need transferring to another hospital for the remainder of his care. Prior to transfer the helicopter crew actually popped in to see dad after they had brought in another patient. My dad was delighted with this as he had not gotten to thank them properly for their help the previous day.

That evening dad was transferred to Glasgow Royal Infirmary to the coronary care unit. He stayed there for several nights & the care he received there was, like the other hospitals he had attended, second to none. The staff were both confident, competent, professional and caring. They made us feel welcome & as they knew we were far from home they allowed us to visit dad a little earlier and stay a little later with him.

The care my dad & my family received during dad's admission was incredible. He was professionally and expertly cared for by both doctors and nurses and we are eternally grateful for everything everyone did for him.