FOLLOWING an emergency operation after his second heart attack, Westbury town councillor Ian Cunningham has urged men to abandon their ‘stiff upper lip’ when it comes to chest pain.
Cllr Cunningham, who chairs the town council’s town improvement working group, was admitted to hospital this month after his wife and mother insisted that he call an ambulance during a bout of chest pain.
The paramedics could not immediately diagnose the problem, he explained, but they erred on the side of caution and took him to the RUH in Bath, where he was rushed to the operating table under local anaesthetic. There, the surgeon revealed that he was having a heart attack, and not for the first time.
“I really would urge men not to ignore chest pain and to realise that a battery of immediate tests at a hospital are rather more likely to tell whether you are having a heart attack than will a GP seeing you a few days after the event,” he said.
“I have had the occasional bouts of chest pain for some years. Unlike many men, I did (sometimes) go to my GP but usually the discomfort was going away. A few times I was given an ECG but with nothing much to see.”
The ordeal has clearly not damaged his sense of humour; he described the pain as “not an elephant on my chest as most people say (although I haven’t actually had an elephant on my chest for an accurate comparison), just a burning discomfort spreading to each side.”
After a second procedure, the doctor deemed cllr Cunningham’s treatment a success and discharged him with medication and orders to rest. He assures that he has now slowed up the pace but continues to serve Westbury and tend to his self-declared “slightly crazy” number of duties.
The councillor is grateful for the “excellent” medical care he received, but hopes others can avoid it by learning from his experience.
He also emphasises the importance of family history; his late “ultra-fit” father suffered several decades of heart attacks before being diagnosed.
Cllr Cunningham has since resumed his work with Crosspoint, Dilton Marsh Primary and Westbury Junior schools, Westbury market towns, and Wiltshire Council, as well as train campaigning and giving free computer support to volunteers.
Ian Cunningham is a town councillor representing Westbury East and sits on both the highways, planning and development, and finance committees.
