I often find myself pondering, "What if?" What random circumstances brought me to Montreal that day, ensuring my cardiac arrest happened in the right place at the right time? After all, it could easily have happened a few hours earlier in a plane over the Atlantic. Inevitably I've became fascinated by the role chance plays in our lives. The feeling of physical vulnerability was a major psychological blow. There was a fresh urgency to everything I did. Shortly after being discharged from hospital, I started writing a play, something I'd wanted to do for years. The experience had merely accelerated the inevitable. I finished the relationship four months later, and returned to Dublin. My girlfriend was traumatised by what had happened. My "death" put immeasurable strain on my relationship. ![]() Once out of hospital, I had to rest for three months. My first thought in my second life was of the unlived life: countless hours of wasted time, all the things I had dreamed of doing but had never been focused enough to give priority to. "Maybe you can choose my numbers for me." "Ever think of doing the Lotto?" my cardiologist joked. During my two weeks in hospital I was a medical curiosity, my survival matter-of-factly classed a "miracle". One of the surgeons said he hadn't seen a recovery against such massive odds in more than 30 years. They were amazed when they discovered a week later there had been no brain damage. Even if I did pull through, I would probably be severely brain-damaged. The doctors said my chances of survival were poor. They removed the clot, inserting a stent to keep open the artery.įor several days I was in a coma with severe pneumonia, on a life support machine. I had a genetic cholesterol problem (exacerbated by smoking) that had never been diagnosed. The hospital discovered that a lump of cholesterol clinging to one of my main arteries had dislodged, blocking the flow of blood to my heart. I was transferred from a nearby hospital to the McGill University Health Centre, where two of Canada's best cardiac experts are based. Rafaëlle had arranged to meet a friend, but cancelled when she realised I wasn't well. Had the cardiac arrest happened later, I may not have survived. In the ambulance they administered several electric shocks – on about the eighth attempt my heart started beating again. When the paramedics arrived, they were amazed that Rafaëlle had managed to continue CPR for almost half an hour normally the effort makes your arms numb after a few minutes. Twice my heart briefly started pumping, then stopped again. She asked her to call 911, then dragged me on to the floor and carried out CPR for 20 minutes while I lay dead. Rafaëlle focused – she had been taught CPR. My girlfriend saw me turning purple and became upset. The only chance of being brought back to life is through CPR – cardiopulmonary resuscitation. One person in a 100 survives an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. "If it happens days later, especially if in combination with loss of smell, it's a fairly solid sign of SARS-CoV-2 infection," he told Popsugar.īut if you are in fact dealing with a metallic taste in your mouth as a COVID vaccine side effect, Rawson suggests drinking a lot of water to help your saliva return to its "optimal composition to clear things out of your mouth."Īnd if you don't have a strong reaction to your shot, check out This Is What It Means If You Have No Vaccine Side Effects, Doctors Say.The pain had been a heart attack, followed by a cardiac arrest. Creech and Mucci-Elliott also said the patients they've seen mostly dealt with the metallic taste for several days.īut Sellick noted that if you experience this symptom a few days after your COVID vaccine, it may be due to a COVID infection as opposed to a side effect. Dave Bischel of California told NBC News that the taste stayed with him for a few days as well. ![]() Howard said he tried to get rid of the taste with coffee, then mouthwash, but it didn't go away for days. One man who talked with NBC News, Paul Wartenberg of Florida, said the metallic taste persisted for several hours after his vaccination but finally dissipated after he ate dinner.
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