Before you became ill, it was obviously very sudden, the heart-

Yeah, a couple of weeks or so, I remember I couldn’t get my dress off because my shoulder was stiff. And I put frozen peas on my ankles. And the girls at work said I didn’t look well. I had a stomach ache, a stomach upset, I was sick. And they said my eyes looked really weird, and they urged me to go to the doctor. I just remember, I don’t remember anything about that at all so there was nothing I could do about any of the [inaudible]. I took one day off, because, because of my pains. And aches. And then went back to work the next day. But I don’t remember anything from [inaudible] until October. it’s all been wiped out.

So, yes, that’s, I thanked everyone and sent them a present. Because I feel it is important to know. Who saved my life. It really is emotional.

Yeah. And you have met him now, haven’t you?

I have, yes. I met him for coffee. He’s lovely. Yeah. Yeah [emotional].

I imagine it’s emotional for him too.

Yes, it was, yes, he said, because of the paramedic said he looked in deep shock, by the time they’d put the lines in the ambulance, and he’d gone, obviously gone to catch his train. Yes, she said he looked very shocked indeed. I’m not surprised. In fact, he said, he told her that he’d seen me walking to the station – the funny thing is, I’ve never seen him. I don’t recognise him. Either walking to the station or at the station [laughs]. Which is very odd indeed, isn’t it? It is, yeah.

So, both of you – he had seen you before this incident

Yes, he’d seen me stumble on the bridge. The other strange thing is, I was very anti-religious, because my sister, my twin, took her own life five years ago. And I sort of had a bit of a, it may seem a bit convenient somehow, I had a bit of a religious experience. And I felt this warmth coming over me. And I believe God sent [name of bystander who gave CPR]. To save me. And I’ve bought a cross, which I wear, and am thinking about going to church. That’s a bit convenient, but I’ve just got this feeling that I’ve got a guardian angel over me, watching me all the time. I expect that’s quite normal, don’t you?

Yes, of course my kidneys are badly damaged, and I’m probably going to need a transplant. I’ve started the [inaudible], so I’ve started the work-up towards the heart scans. I’ve got one more next Friday. And I’ve got a chest x-ray and the blood work and [inaudible] in November when that’s the renal clinic.

But I’m eating healthy, fruit and vegetables, water. And it’s gone up two points. And I joined the forum on Facebook for vasculitis patients, and some have had fantastic results. You know even like twelve per cent and they’re like thirty-three. One was even sixty. So, I’m not, you know, I don’t mean to, you know, my renal team have been very negative about things. About, they said you don’t need to bother about diet or exercise. Which I think anybody should do, shouldn’t they?

Yes, I can now get out of the bath. I have to get on my knees first, and then I can get, I can pull, pull my legs over. So that was a big thing to do because I couldn’t do it. Yeah. That’s [inaudible] thing to do.

And have you got stairs and things at your flat?

Yes. Four flights of stairs [laughs]. they’re fine, fine, absolutely fine.

So, when you said you had rehab’, you might not remember, I don’t know, but do you remember what the rehab involved, did it, was it physiotherapy or-

Yes. At the gym like swinging my legs and stuff and standing on tiptoes and that and, I used to go to the therapy kitchen and cook breakfast and some [inaudible]. So, I could cook a meal when I came home. They were very good.

Sorry, did you say that somebody came with you when, to do a home visit?

No. But apparently, they don’t come that far. So [my partner] had to take some photographs. And they gave me a wheelchair which I didn’t need. At all.

Some people have said that actually getting a wheelchair changed their lives because they were able to do things that they couldn’t do before.

Yes.

But you haven’t needed
No. I sent it back after a few weeks. I think they were amazed at the progress I made because I didn’t walk on my own until the 21stof December when I went to the bathroom with nurses holding both my hands. By the 7thof January, I managed to walk to the meeting to decide when I was coming home.

I did feel bad at first. I blamed myself. For not realising I was ill. But I went to work. And it must, the walk must have been just too much. I collapsed right, clutching my chest, just outside the GP surgery. it’s amazing, isn’t it? Everybody was just so shocked.

That is something that quite a few people have told me, is that they didn’t realise how ill, they were.

No, it’s the silent killer, isn’t it? It is. And anyway, my auntie and my great-niece have both got rheumatoid arthritis, I think there may be a link to it, is there? Yes. So that, I think that probably what was the cause. And some unknown trigger. Like I did work too hard, they said Jane does the work of two people I did push myself because, well, at school I wasn’t very clever. I know, I’m quite IT literate, but growing up I had to work hard to prove myself.