Reluctant Corby patient thanks Lakeside staff for life-saving heart attack diagnosis

Staff at a Corby GP surgery have been thanked by a Cottingham man for saving his life after identifying unusual symptoms that turned out to be a heart attack.

Peter Crane had visited the Lakeside for unrelated healthcare issues, when he mentioned a ‘scratchy’ feeling in his chest which he put down to tiredness.

Practice nurse Alice Beattie was concerned and insisted he should see a doctor despite Mr Crane's assertions that ‘all was well’.

Tests run by Dr Ummad Raja were negative, but Mr Crane was referred to Kettering General Hospital where the heart attack was discovered.

Mr Crane said: “Had it not been for Alice prodding and probing and insisting I see the doctor I would never have known about it and might have had a further heart attack, and who knows what the outcome may have been? Like every father, my ambition is to walk my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day, and I would have been gutted had I fell off my perch before I had the chance to do that.

“Dr Raja had spent a fair bit of time in medicine and he didn’t like what he was hearing given my medical history and the fact that it didn’t sound quite right. He did an ECG but that showed nothing of any concern. He said “I am not seeing anything yet, but I just know that you have got to go to A&E to get a blood test immediately.”

Mr Crane’s symptoms were tiredness and a feeling of ‘unease’, as though he had twisted a muscle in his chest, he didn’t have classic crushing chest pains.

He added: “A&E were brilliant, and I was being monitored within five minutes.

"Tests showed that I had had a heart attack a day or two previously. I had an angiogram and stent fitted and they told me that I was lucky to have dodged a bullet and it was so good that it was spotted at Lakeside.

"I genuinely believe that if it hadn’t been picked up then I would have had a further, perhaps fatal, heart attack so I am immensely grateful for the help I had. It certainly shows that not all heart attacks are the same.

“There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude. I went to the surgery with a thank you card, flowers and chocolates the day I came out of hospital.

"Lakeside has done so much for me over the 58 years that I have been with the practice, and I wanted to make sure that the people involved know how grateful my family and I are.”

A follow-up at the hospital is planned for further stents to be fitted.

Afterwards Alice said: “I feel that I barely played a part but obviously every step helps in that journey to get the patient the treatment they need and I am so glad that it all turned out well.

"Afterwards Mr Crane's daughter contacted me through social media to say thanks.”

Dr Raja added: “Each patient I see is a priority and you have to weigh up their condition, history and symptoms. Medicine is a vocation for us all and so any difference that you make is a massive positive.”