I had been feeling tired for almost 2 years and I thought if I cut back on my activities my energy level would increase. Then on Monday 23rd July at 4.30 pm I sat on the sofa completely exhausted, unable to move my arms which lay limply by my sides. I sat there for perhaps 30 minutes, before I forced myself to get up and do something. – Catherine Jodhan-Butts ,

 

My husband, Nigel came home at 5.30 pm and suggested we go walking, normally I would make an excuse not to go but that day I went. We walked for 45 minutes in our neighborhood chatting as we walked; everything was fine until we walked into our garage. I felt this very sharp pain in the center of my chest. My husband asked if I was feeling alright and I said yes it’s probably acid reflux and I would be fine after I drank a little water. Well the water did not help and I started to feel nauseous and tingling down my left arm. Nigel looked at me and said you are either having a stroke or a heart attack, let’s go to St Clair now! I was still self-diagnosing or rather misdiagnosing but when I could not walk to the car I realised he was probably right and this was serious. He practically lifted me into the car and told me to cough which I did all the way there.

 

We arrived at St Clair Medical Centre at 6.30 pm. The doctor at Accident and Emergency immediately called the medical team at Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Limited (CHCm) prior to this we knew nothing about Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Limited but luckily for me their office is on the compound of St Clair Medical Centre and the cardiac team was still on site. They immediately ran tests which included ECGs and several Blood Tests and diagnosed that I had a blockage etc. Thereafter the CHCM doctors and CHCM staff performed a Coronary Angioplasty.

 

The team of doctors at CHCm the nurses and support staff of St Clair Medical Centre were fantastic, professional yet warm and friendly. Never once did I feel anxious or afraid. I was awake for the procedure which seemed to take no time at all, I put this down to the wonderful Nurse Betsy who held my hand and spoke to me gently and calmly. She was probably young enough to be my daughter but was a mother figure for me that day.

 

The doctors at CHCm and the staff at St Clair Medical Centre worked exceptionally well as a team. I felt like part of a family, everyone was so caring, not just to me the patient but also to my husband who as you can imagine was having panic attacks that I might die. The doctors who performed my procedure were Dr. William Torres and Dr. Risshi Rampersad and what impressed me the most, aside from their excellent medical skills, was their amazing people skills. They were kind when we needed kindness, funny when the situation required it. We always felt comforted and assured and that we were in safe hands. It has been two years since my heart attack and the aftercare I have received from Dr. Risshi Rampersad and his staff at CHCm is still of an extremely high standard. I still feel special when I enter the office as I am always welcomed by warm smiles and friendly greetings.

 

In hindsight, as both my parents had died of massive heart attacks, I should have realised that my tiredness was a call for me to make an appointment to see a doctor at CHCm. I would highly recommend making an appointment with CHCm to ensure that your heart is healthy and they will work with you to ensure that it is.