Angela very concerned over NHS waiting lists

Local woman suffered a near-fatal heart-attack

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A Dumfries woman says she "should be dead" after suffering a heart attack while waiting to see a cardiologist.

Angela Gordon, 55, was given an urgent appointment last July after feeling unwell for several weeks.

But while she waited for that appointment, she had a heart attack in December.

And nearly a year later, she's still waiting to find out what damage has been done.

She said: "I was having episodes daily for a couple of weeks and I had convinced myself it was indigestion. My GP ruled that out and put in an urgent referral to cardiology in July last year. In December I still hadn't been seen by anyone, and I ended up having a heart attack."

Blue-lighted from Dumfries to East Kilbride's Hairmyres Hospital, Angela was fitted with stents and, three days later, taken back to Dumfries before being allowed home the following day.

Angela said: "I was given conflicting information about the number of stents I had been fitted with and just before I left, they sent me for an echocardiogram, and I got five minutes with the cardiologist.