Interview 24 - Heart attack

Age at interview: 58

Age at diagnosis: 57

Brief Outline:

Retired Psychiatric Care Assistant; Married, 4 children

Background:

Heart attack 2002. Current medication - aspirin, ramipril, nicorandil, Tildieum Retard, GTN, atorvastatin. Diagnosed with Cardiac Syndrome X 2003

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It is important that doctors explain everything they are doing and why.

But where I have been lucky is like I said, my own cardiologist, my GP, the woman who runs the cardiac have just answered every question I've had. My own cardiologist has never said, well we don't do this. She's always like before she's adding another tablet, she explains why, why she feels the need for this and that and I think you feel a lot better in yourself. 

You feel as though it's being done as a partnership, rather than the impersonal approach of this, this and this, cheerio, we'll see you in a few months. I think that's been so important that has, really.

I think, like I say, communication, even if it's an admission of a lack of knowledge is so important because you really are in no man's land, because suddenly something's happened to you, that's going to affect you for the rest of your life and you know nothing about it because you haven't been expecting it. 

It's not something that was anticipated and I think whatever they do for people, always explain why they're doing what they're doing.  

I don't mean in a crisis slowing down and explaining, but in the general run of things always explain why they're doing what they're doing. And even if they say they don't know the answer to that question, but I'll go and find out. But there's nothing worse than having anything done to you or prescribed for you and nobody's explained why.