The beat goes on

What say you on the issue below?

Often, surviving a heart attack is just a matter of staying calm, using a lot of common sense, and having a little luck.

ELEVEN years after surviving a heart attack, Teh Chin Huat, 60, tries to live his life as positively as he can. And he is happy with what he has.

“I have been given a second chance, so I see everything in life as a blessing. I realise the most important thing is to be happy, because life is short,” he says.

It was Nov 28, 1998, when Teh first felt something pressing against his chest. “It had never happened to me before, so I didn’t know what it was.

“I read somewhere that it could be a sign of a heart attack, so I tried to breathe and cough. Everything seemed okay,” he recalls.

Teh Chin Huat... It is often only after the (heart) attack you realise that life is beautiful and you have to appreciate a lot of people.

Being on hypertension medication for about 10 years, Teh knew he was at a higher risk of having a heart attack, but the symptoms he experienced was not entirely like those described in the papers or TV.

“What I felt was just a pressure on my chest, and nothing else,” he describes.

As he was alone at home, he tried to resume his daily activities, but the tightness in his chest did not go away.

“That was the time when I suspected something was wrong and decided to call my neighbour, who is a doctor practising in a clinic nearby,” says Teh.

After he made that call, common sense kicked in. The first thing Teh did was to open his doors and gates. “I did that because I didn’t know what would happen to me. I might collapse the next moment.”

Next, he made sure he had his identity card and mobile phone with him as he sat and waited for help.

“When the doctor finally reached me, he gave me some medications to put under my tongue and called the ambulance.”

Coincidentally, Teh’s family called shortly after and the doctor informed them of his condition. In the ambulance, Teh also contacted his friend, whose wife later rushed to the hospital to watch over him as the doctors tried to resuscitate him.

“I lost consciousness after we arrived at the hospital,” says Teh. “But when I woke up, my brother-in-law was there at my bedside. It turned out that my friend’s wife went to my house, found my phone directory and called my relatives.

“The doctor said I was lucky because at one point, they thought I was a ‘gone case’. But surprisingly, after they resuscitated me, I survived without having to undergo any angioplasty or surgery. After checking further, doctors found that I had some blood clots in my heart and two blocked blood vessels, but they were not major ones that required surgery,” he explains.

But four years after the attack, he says, a check-up revealed that his heart was functioning normally again. “Now I just take medications for my heart, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels,” he adds.

Although he survived, the experience had made him rethink many aspects of his life, mainly his attitude towards work and happiness.

“Before the attack, I was a real estate agent, and I was also doing my own business at the same time. My focus was more on trying to work a lot, and trying to achieve as much as I could.

“I think I also tended to pressure myself quite a bit. Perhaps, the attack could be partly due to the pressure,” he says.

“But now, I choose to see the brighter side of things in life. There is no point in contemplating sad things because sometimes you just can’t help it.

“It’s just like boarding a bus when there’s no seat available. You can’t do anything about it, so you have to just let it be lah!” he chuckles.

Now an agency manager of a mutual fund company, Teh chooses to work at his own pace. He also tries to control his diet and eat in moderation.

As a person who loves food, it has not been not easy. “After my hospital stay, I was given a long list of foods to avoid, but I couldn’t follow it. So I told myself that I would eat everything, but I would limit the amounts.

“For instance, I will drink only a cup of coffee per day and try to eat only 60-80% of the usual portion of my meals,” he says.

He also tries to do some light exercise such as walking when he is free.

“Of course, it is often only after the (heart) attack you realise that life is beautiful and you have to appreciate a lot of people,” he says.

“Now my priority is to make sure that I bring up my family well, and to do that I must lead by example. Hopefully, my children will grow up to be better people,” he says with a contented smile.