Surviving heart attack: ‘Reading Farmers Weekly saved my life’

A Cumbrian farmer has survived a heart attack having recently read our article in the Farmers Weekly monthly “Farm Doctor” series, covering the signs to look out for and the action to be taken. 

Based just west of Carlisle in Thurstonfield, 76-year-old farmer Billy Swainson says reading this particular article saved his life.

See also: Farm Doctor: Could you recognise heart attack symptoms? 

“I read the story about farmers not recognising heart attack symptoms, and it resonated with me. I’m a fit man and didn’t think I had any problems,” Mr Swainson explains.

“My wife died 13 months ago, so I live alone. The children were on holiday and the farm staff had gone home, and it was about 11pm at night.

“I got a sharp pain in my chest and it started to spread. Then a feeling of pressure started to build.

“My initial thought was indigestion, and I thought about taking painkillers and going to bed. But I’d remembered the article, and I had a quick look through and realised that everything matched up.

“Farmers Weekly was still on the table beside me, so I was able to tick my own symptoms off against the list of symptoms you had given.”

Ambulance

Recognising that he was having a heart attack, Mr Swainson rang for an ambulance and was taken to the hospital, where he was praised for identifying the symptoms and, crucially, catching it within the first hour.

“They worked on me all night and wouldn’t let me go home. They did a cardiograph and put a stent in.

“Now I feel fine, but it could have been a lot worse,” says Mr Swainson, who is back overseeing operations on his family farm, which he has handed over to his son. 

“You can credit yourselves with saving me, and maybe by writing about this, you might save one more.”

Read Farm Doctor Camilla Baker’s full list of heart attack signs and symptoms