Last Sunday we went to the Royal Albert Hall to see the CBeebies Prom - Nicky likes classical music and it seemed an ideal opportunity to experience it live. The day started off well - we left the house in plenty of time (which never usually happens), the train and Tube journeys were straightforward and we arrived in plenty of time. Our original seats were very high up, but as we went to find them a member of staff offered to exchange our tickets for some right at the bottom, which was very handy as it meant we'd get a much better view!
The Prom itself was very good - the kids were kept entertained and the music from the London Philharmonic was brilliant. At the end we had the opportunity to queue and meet the presenters. First of all we queued to meet Cat, Katy and Mr. Bloom. Whilst in the queue the kids got a high five from Robert the Robot. Then we joined the other queue to meet Chris, Andy and Gem. Here's a link to some photos.
Shortly before meeting the second group, I had a dizzy moment. It seemed to pass and I thought I'd be fine once we got outside. We crossed the road into the park next to the Albert Memorial, but the dizziness was now really bad and I had to sit down. Things got worse, I couldn't move due to vertigo and I started vomiting frequently.
After a couple of hours with no improvement, we called 111, which was very frustrating due to the repetition of questions from a checklist from three different people. Eventually though an ambulance was called, which arrived within half an hour.
The very nice paramedic (Tim) helped me stagger into the ambulance, after which I promptly threw up again (it was only bile by this stage). My heart rate was taken (a resting heart rate of 44 which I was strangely pleased by as that is athlete level) and then I was hooked up to an ECG (after having two strips shaved into my chest!)
The ECG showed an anomaly, which coupled with my dizziness and vomiting suggested that I may be having a heart attack. Tim was very reassuring and said that it was unlikely as I didn't have chest pain and all my other vitals were good - apparently this kind of anomaly can also present in fit, young people - but they decided to take me to the Heart Hospital to have it checked out. I was relatively calm but it must have been much worse for Anna, especially when the blue lights and siren went on (she was following in a car)!
I was seen by a cardiologist at the Heart who agreed that it was unlikely that I was having a heart attack due to the absence of chest pain, and so I was taken to St Mary's in Paddington. The immediate concern still seemed to be about my heart rather than my sickness, and I had several more ECGs and a blood sample taken, as they were worried that I may have had a heart attack previously. I was given some medication to thin my blood.
After a while I was transferred from A&E to the MAU (Medical Assessment Unit) for further monitoring, until eventually I was seen by a doctor late at night who seemed happy that my heart wasn't an immediate problem or cause and started investigating the sickness itself. I had several tests before being moved to the AMU (Acute Medical Unit) overnight for observation.
In the morning I was seen by a cardiologist who seemed to agree that my ECG anomaly was within normal bounds for someone fit and young (I should have got them to write that on a certificate, it was nice to be described that way by so many medical professionals!) My heart seemed fine according to an ultrasound, my blood pressure was slightly low and I was advised to eat a bit more salt for a few days. I'd always assumed my blood pressure was high so that was good to hear. The cardiologist was happy for me to be discharged, but I'll have to go back as an outpatient for further tests just to make sure there is nothing wrong with my heart.
After that I was seen by neurologists, who after several tests determined that I had vestibular labyrinthitis - they can't tell for certain what the cause was, but it's most likely a virus affecting my inner ear. It'll get better on its own, but I've spent most of this week in bed. Today is the first time I've felt able to stare at my tablet long enough to write this out!
I've had to take the week off work to recover, hopefully I'll be back on Monday though. I'm desperate to get back on my bike but will have to leave it until I'm 100% again. Still, it's better than having a heart attack I'm sure!
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