"Wonderful treatment from Plymouth Cardiac and Rheumatology teams"

It all started in early September. My nightmare begins when I woke at 3am with a pain in my left arm and tight chest. I went down stairs thinking it was wind and I had hurt my arm so was jumping around the front room untillabout five in the morning.

Then I relized it was not going away, and not wind. I went and woke my wife to be told it's only wind so jumping around some more before giving up and decided to go back to my poor sleeping wife to say I'm not right I'm going to phone for an ambulance which I did but then my wife came down to take over and phoned 999.

Within 10 minutes I had help with the paramedics - within two days after having a stent and doing well in hospital was sent home, and thought all was well.

Until 6weeks later when I tried to go back to work when both hands started to swell up causing me a lot of pain. After visits to the doctors he thought that it was gout in the hands. It got really bad and I phoned 999 again for help and ended up back in hospital again when they decided it was gout and told me to keep taking the pills.

After about two months on different pills I managed to go back to work the week before Christmas. I lasted one week before I got home, had a bath, got in the bath then could not get out. I got a pain from hell in my groin - I was in so much pain. So we phoned 999 again and I ended up back in hospita. They did the tests and thought that I had Septic Arthitis in my hip joint. I was in so much pain I could not walk or do any thing for myself. Luckily I managed to get out for Christmas day - they sent me home Christmas eve but was still in pain, then my hands swelled up Christmas day. As I sat on the settee watching my hands swell up.

After that me and the doctor found out what it was. I was given the wrong drugs and I now have rheumatoid arthritis as well as having had a heart attack all the time. I was in hospital at Derriford, the doctors and nurses were fantastic - I cannot fault them. I will get through this but I can not do it without their help and believe me, I have had alot of help from them.

As part of the heart attack treatment, I attended cardiac rehabilitation classes with the NHS in Plymouth at the rugby ground - the nurses there have been wonderful again they really give you a sense of purpose.

I never thought I would like it but its been fun and I went when the rheumatism let me and to come away feeling good about oneself. The nurses really help you to feel good about trying to get on and nothing is to much trouble for them - they have even said although I have finished the classes I could still phone for help if I needed it which is nice - I cannot thank them enough.

That's the Plymouth cardiac rehabilitation classes at Brickfields Leisure Centre - keep up the good work.