Headteacher and keen sportsman, Tim Harris, was a fit and healthy 43-year-old who regularly went to the gym at least three times a week.
However, the dad-of-two from Sedgley suffered a heart attack in January and has now teamed up with health chiefs to help raise awareness of the early symptoms of a heart attack.
A heart attack occurs when the supply of blood to the heart muscle becomes blocked, which can starve it of oxygen, potentially causing serious muscle damage.
Whilst the early signs of a heart attack can vary, the most common symptoms include a heavy or tight, squeezing sensation across the chest, often going up the neck and into the shoulders or down the arms, sweating, and a sense that something just isn’t right. The person will be conscious and breathing.
Crucially, the symptoms of a real-life heart attack can be very different to how they are usually portrayed in films and television, so it’s important to recognise them and get help early.
Tim said: “It’s been seven weeks since I had a heart attack and I still can’t quite believe it has happened. I’ve always been into sports and fitness, which is why I originally became a PE teacher. I also used to swim competitively and before this happened went to the gym as often as I could, as well as going on big walks on the weekend. “Looking back, I realised I’d had a couple of little episodes before I had the heart attack, but never in a million years thought it would be anything serious.
“It initially started when I went to Devon for New Years’ Eve with my wife and our two daughters. I remember waking up one morning with a dull ache in my chest, but I just put it down to indigestion as we’d been eating lots of rich food over Christmas. It went away after five minutes so I didn’t really think too much of it.
“It happened again about four days later, but this time whilst I was on a walk with my family. It felt like a dull ache again, almost like I had an elastic band tightening in my chest. I was still walking and talking so I wasn’t in pain, but I felt clammy and a little bit sick. At the time I didn’t say anything as I didn’t want to worry anyone, and like before, it went away after a few minutes.
“A few weeks later on a Sunday morning, I went to the gym like I normally do. I came home roughly one hour later and was helping my little girl do her homework, when the dull ache in my chest came back. However, this time it lasted a bit longer. I had my Apple watch on and so I checked my pulse and watched it go down to 34 beats per minute, which is extremely low. I knew that something wasn’t quite right and so I told my wife and we agreed I needed to go somewhere and get it checked out.
“We decided to drop the girls off at my mother-in-law’s house as they’re only five and eight so I didn’t want them to know anything was wrong. Once we got there, my wife and I stayed in the car on the drive and decided to phone 111. I explained what had happened and they sent an ambulance to check me over.
“At the time, the pain in my chest had completely gone and I felt absolutely fine, so I actually walked down the road to flag the ambulance down. I didn’t want the girls to see their dad getting into an ambulance and worry them.”
The paramedics who attended advised Tim they were not happy with the results of the ECG they performed and would need to take him to hospital. Even at this stage, Tim didn’t realise there could be something seriously wrong.
He continued: “I started to get a little bit concerned when they said they were going to take me to New Cross Hospital and would have to put the blue lights on to get there. When we arrived, I asked if could walk in to the hospital but they said no, and I was wheeled into a room where five nurses were waiting for me, which is when I started to panic.
“It felt like everything happened really fast and before I knew it, a heart specialist came in to say I’d had a heart attack and was going to have a procedure to have a stent fitted. All I could think was: I need to phone my wife. That’s all I wanted to do. I don’t scare very easily but for the first time, I was petrified. I spoke to my wife on the phone, told her that if anything happened, to tell the girls I was a good man. It still upsets me thinking about it now.
“The doctors and nurses were fantastic, they were all so calm and spoke to me about the procedure and what would happen. My mind was just racing at the time but they did manage to calm me a little bit. Everything happened so quick and before I knew it, I’d had the procedure and was on a ward, all by lunchtime. I then spent three days in hospital before I was allowed home.
“When I got discharged, the doctor said it was lucky that I went in when I did as the lasting damage is minimal. I had no idea that I was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack at the time, but I’m so glad that I phoned 111 when I did and didn’t just brush it off.”
Seven weeks down the line, Tim is feeling positive about his recovery and has even been able to start returning to work.
He said: “I’ve been able to increase my fitness levels quite quickly and have been going to the Action Heart Gym at Russells Hall Hospital, which has been fantastic. The staff there are really supportive and I’m allowed to go three times a week, so I’m trying to do that as much as possible to build my strength back.
“Physically I feel okay and I’m now back at work on a phased return. I still have days where I get out of breath if I do too much and it reminds me I need to take things slow. This whole experience has also affected me from a mental aspect too. I have always classed myself as mentally strong but I do have moments where I think about what could have happened and it’s just a horrible feeling. I’m generally a positive person though and I’m getting better every day.
“I recently met up with some friends for the first time since I had my heart attack. I don’t usually talk to my friends about this kind of stuff but I told them all if they had any health issues at all, they need to get it checked out straight away. It’s not worth the risk putting it off.
“I don’t drink a lot, I’ve never smoked, I’m active and healthy and I have a good diet, so I didn’t have any reason to think anything would be wrong with my heart. I’m so lucky that I phoned for help when I did and I’m here now. That’s why I’m urging everyone to look up the signs of a heart attack and get help immediately if they think they’re experiencing any symptoms.”
There are more than 80,000 hospital admissions for heart attacks in England every year. The overall survival rate for people experiencing a heart attack is seven in 10, but this increases to nine in 10 for those who come forward for early hospital treatment.
Recent NHS research shows that 70 per cent of people understand that pain in the chest is a symptom of a heart attack, but just 41 per cent knew sweating was a symptom. Only 27 per cent understood feeling weak, lightheaded or a feeling of general unease were also symptoms.
Dr Joe Martins, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Helping people to recognise when they, or someone around them, is experiencing a heart attack and getting them to seek early medical help is vital.
“The image we so often see in media of a person suddenly clutching their chest and collapsing is not how heart attacks usually present. The pain can in fact be quite mild to start with.
“It’s important to look out for tell-tale symptoms like tightness of the chest, breaking out in a cold sweat, or feeling breathless, anxious or sick. Symptoms can range from severe to mild, and are different from one person to the next.
“Often people don’t realise they’re having a heart attack and it can be easy to dismiss these symptoms, but it is never too early to seek medical help. The faster you act, the better the chance of a full recovery.”
For more information on heart attacks, click here.
