Normally 10-14 days and you’re cured, but here they send you home and no injections. I was 2 months before I could walk again. Thousands of years ago they swore by ginger, garlic and turmeric for blood disorders and they sell these in capsule form on Amazon, so I ordered a batch. Within a day the pain had dropped to bearable and a fortnight later I could walk again.

During this period I had frequent check ups. Everytime my blood pressure and heartrate were normal, but 3 weeks ago I started to get unusual pains in my stomach so I went to get it checked out. When I arrived at the Centre de Saude at 8 in the morning there were about 100 people already waiting and I didn’t fancy mingling with that lot. So I set off for the Hospital Particular. Treatment there is excellent, but expensive. However you can get a consultation with a qualified doctor for 65 euros. When I was examined they discovered that my heart rate was low and my blood pressure. Next thing I knew I was lying on a hospital bed hooked up to an electro cardiac machine, which was making funny noises due to the fact that my heart rate was below normal. Throughout this I felt perfectly normal and never would have known had I not gone to the hospital. They poured me into an ambulance and off I went to Faro, lights and horns flashing. At Faro they installed a pacemaker and the following day I was home.

Now this is not earth shattering news, but I am just trying to point out that regular health check ups are essential especially as you get older. If it wasn’t for the pains in my stomach I would be dead now! The stomach pains are decreasing, but what hearts and stomach have in common I don’t know.

Fred Steel, By email