Urban Fantasist
Menu
Picture
Follow @urbanfantasist
We're living in dangerously weird times... smart people just shrug and admit they're dazed and confused

Me and My Big Geek Heart Attack

3/12/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
So why have I been off this website for the past 3 weeks? Well, everything was going swimmingly well until the afternoon of Thursday 14 November when it was struck down - literally and metaphorically - by a heart attack (technically an aortic dissection) and found myself rolling across the office floor, thinking to myself - there must be more to life than dying amid a pile of paperwork awaiting filing.

There then followed a harum-scarum ambulance race to Norfolk & Norwich Hospital, where the staff of the Acute Medical Unit put me through about 9 hours of tests to try to find out what was wrong with me. Unlike other forms of heart attacks where a key symptom is a crushing chest pain, with an aortic dissection - where the inner wall of the aorta has split - the pain is in the back but unfortunately a back pain can also be a symptom of other complaints, including slipped discs, kidney stones and even chronic indigestion. Eventually I had my diagnosis and the no-so-good news that the only place with the staff and facilities to operate on me was 75 miles away at Papworth. 

There then followed another harum scarum cross country ambulance dash - by road as my condition was regarded as too precarious to risk any turbulence that might be associated with a helicopter air-ambulance trip.

And so it was that at about 8 on Friday morning I was wheeled into the operating theatre for what proved to be a 100% successful (but lengthy, I was under the knife for around six hours) operation. The dissection was fixed by surgery and, i'm very glad to report, without complications or the need for any kevlar stents, artificial replacement heart valves or pacemakers being fitted.

One week later I was home with a prognosis of a full recovery by March - one of the slowest bits to mend is the breast-bone/sternum which has to be split during the operation and is currently held together by wire! (Or possibly baler-twine, this being Norfolk.)

Clearly my guardian angels were looking over me that day, as there were so many what-ifs that could have easily gone badly wrong however my hero is my wife Jane Christian who scraped me off the floor, called the ambulance, was with me at the N&N and then on the long drive to Papworth, then was by my bedside when i finally emerged from the anaesthetic - and then made a 150 mile round-trip every day for a week to visit me in hospital - and those visits meant everything to me in keeping up my spirits. Florence Nightingale meets Pepper Potts - and in her spare time Jane kept the business ticking over. Jane is now Nurse in Chief, which means ensuring I dont eat junk food, keeping me out of the office and keeping track of the 48 different pills I have to take each day. Jane, you are wonderful.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has wished me well, sent flowers, fruit, cards, chocolate, cakes, biscuits and books (tho a Philip K Dick anthology for a man who had to wear a catheter for a week seems a little Freudian) and especially our friend Beverly Page who did much of the driving and provided Jane with invaluable emotional support on those long hospital visits.

What was the scariest bit? I'm not sure if it was overhearing the medics saying there was no point in a doctor accompanying me on the trip from Norwich to Papworth because if the aorta did rupture, there was nothing anyone could have done to save me. Or whether it was being presented with a consent form at dawn where the options were basically (i) doing nothing, decline surgery and definitely die or (ii) do something, have the surgery and possibly die. I was rather hoping for an option (iii) wake up in the morning and find it was all a bad dream.

Scars? Yes I have a few but I promise no selfies on Facebook but let's just say that if you are casting for a zombie movie and need someone who looks like they've just revived after an autopsy, I'm your man.

You can find a good piece on aortic dissection on Wikipedia - Aortic dissection - it is relatively rare, occurring in maybe 30 per million people each year. It is more common in men and the mean age at diagnosis in 63 - which makes me Mr Average as I was born in 1950. It is also a killer, with 40% of cases leading to death before the victim reaches hospital. The first case ever identified was King George II - it also killed Lucille Ball and Albert Einstein.

And that's it from me for tonight. I'll be back to my more usual flippant self next time.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The Home of Geek, Folklore & Paranormal
    Entertainment

    Here to inform and entertain you with tales of geek, folklore and the weird. "Fun and high strangeness" is how one reader described it. Prone to sarcasm.

    Curated by Reuters correspondent and barrister turned writer, podcaster, editor, award-winning tech journalist and sometime werewolf hunter Charles Christian. The site also has links to Charles Christian's books and latest reviews plus his Weird Tales Radio Show.

    Charles was born a 'chime child' with a caul – according to legend a caul-shrouded chime-child can't drown at sea but can see and talk to ghosts and fairy folk without fear of coming to harm – superpowers he's so far never needed to employ.

    Vital Statistics

    Weird Tales Radio Show now goes out on syndication across 40 FM & internet radio stations, as well as all major podcast platforms plus Spotify, Mixcloud, SoundCloud, TuneIn Radio, YouTube, RSS & Amazon Music.
    Picture
    Click the <Play> button below to hear the latest show. Follow this link Weird Tales Radio Show to access archive.
    Picture
    Tweets by urbanfantasist

    Virtual Tip Jar

    You can now support Urban Fantasist, its podcasts and its new video channel through our Virtual Tip Jars on PayPal, Ko-fi and Patreon, giving you a choice of ad hoc or regular payments.
    Picture
    Picture

    Contact Details

    Email: urbanfantasist@icloud.com
    ​Tel: +44(0)1986 788666
    Tel/Txt: +44(0)7786 738172
    WhatsApp etc: +44(0)7786 738172

    ​Skype: ChristianUncut
    Twitter: @urbanfantasist

    Quote, Unquote

    "Charles Christian... a man of paranormality" ...Howard Hughes, Talk Radio UK

    "A great witty intelligence in the world. We need more CC and less monkey-brained politicians" ...Julia Bohanna

    "Just found the show, absolutely love it. Will be tuning in regularly and catching up."

    "You are a great and generous host" ...Patti Negri, The Hollywood Psychic

    "You have a pleasant way of conducting an interview" ...Terje Simonsen

    "I host a daily morning show in Las Vegas and I like your shows very much. I love the way you pace your voice and thoughts is fantastic and you have a way of making your guest interviews sound more like conversations. Just wanted to let you know" ...Clay Baker

    ​"The ever wonderful Charles Christian and his Weird Tales Radio Show"...Into The Portal Podcast 

    ​"The Master of Mysteries & Folklore" ...Fantasy Radio UK

    "The witty and knowledgeable Charles Christian." 

    ​"We poled our fans on their favorite podcasts and that's how I heard of Weird Tales Radio. You are well loved by the geekiverse, and fans of folklore history and monsters!"

    "Charles Christian is really out there cool."
    ​
    ​"Check out Urban Fantasist for more fun and strangeness."

    ​"Charles Christian defiantly makes my world a brighter, funnier place."

    "
    Wonderful show tonight full of all the usual delights we've come to expect."
    ​
    "The legendary Charles Christian at his eclectic best... his insight and humour alone make this a must-read blog."

    "Charles Christian is my inner spirit animal, thank you for making me laugh."

    ​"You always make me laugh! Thank you for brightening my day with your dark humour."

    ​"the funny, wonderful and slightly cantankerous Charles Christian"

    "Carlsberg don't make clients, but if they did... they'd be Charles Christian"

    "His tech journalism is always witty. He has a talent for pricking the overblown claims of suppliers."

    "Charles Christian does awesome!"
    Picture

    Charles Christian's Books

    Clicking on the links will take you to the Amazon previews of each book.
    Picture
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087N3NB7M
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087N3NB7M
    Picture
    ​https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MELTC84
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MELTC84
    Picture
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DKCKPT
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCKPT

    RSS Feed


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Picture
Picture
Copyright © Charles Christian 
& WordsandVision Limited 2021
​Powered by green tea and pink wine
Tel: +44 (0)1986 788666
Tel/Txt: +44 (0)7786 738172
urbanfantasist@icloud.com
Contact Address: Oak Lodge, Darrow Green Road, Denton, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 0AY, United Kingdom

Geek, Folklore & Paranormal Entertainment

  • Home
  • Weird Tales Radio
  • Charles Christian Bio
  • Interviews & Speaking
  • Charles Christian Books & Reviews
  • * Fiction
  • * Non Fiction
  • * Poetry
  • All My Links
  • Old Americana
  • Old Grievous Angel
  • Home
  • Weird Tales Radio
  • Charles Christian Bio
  • Interviews & Speaking
  • Charles Christian Books & Reviews
  • * Fiction
  • * Non Fiction
  • * Poetry
  • All My Links
  • Old Americana
  • Old Grievous Angel