Last Wednesday, I began feeling quite ill with what I assumed was a bad case of tonsillitis. But as the days passed, my condition worsened, and I ended up in A&E.
At my local hospital in Slough, routine blood tests were taken as part of the initial checks. When the doctor called me back to discuss the results, one enzyme test, typically expected to be between 10 and 15, came back at over 3,000, and later rose to 7,300. That’s when the doctor looked at me and said, “You’re staying in.”
I was admitted last Sunday. Since then, I’ve lost count of how many blood tests, ECGs, temperature checks, and scans I have undergone. Initially, I was treated as if I’d had a minor heart attack. At 41, a non-smoker, generally healthy, and with a young family-my wife and two daughters-it was frightening. The thought of something serious happening was difficult to process.
Thankfully, after an echocardiogram and an angiogram—two key heart tests—a heart attack was ruled out.
That second test brought mixed emotions: fear, after signing a consent form acknowledging a one per cent risk of major complications or death (not something you want to see in writing), but also relief- and even a moment of humour-when the consultant, Dr. Singh, told me I had “the arteries of a 20-year-old.” I also had an MRI, which doctors were happy with overall, though it did show some inflammation in the outer part of my heart.
So, after three major tests, improved blood work, a clear chest X-ray, and normal ECGs, you might wonder: why was I still in hospital?
You don’t truly appreciate the NHS - until you need it - Keith Bays
GB News/Getty Images
The answer: myocarditis. It’s an inflammation of the heart, likely triggered by the same infection that caused my tonsillitis. Those pesky inflamed tonsils didn’t just give me a high temperature of (38°C), body aches, and headaches-they likely sparked the heart inflammation too. One junior doctor simply called it “bad luck.”
It was my first time taking sick days from GB News in over three years—something I was genuinely gutted about. Anyone who knows me knows how much I live and breathe the job. I do want to thank the team-especially Mick Booker and Nick Seymour-for their constant support and for staying in touch with my wife, Sara (Mrs. Bays), throughout.
My wife Sara, has been incredible during this time-holding everything together, visiting me, and being there when I needed her most. They say, ‘in sickness and in health,’ and she has more than lived up to those vows.
I was discharged yesterday and I’m now recovering at home. I’m feeling a bit better, and thankfully, most of the test results are moving in the right direction—but I’ll still need time, rest, and monitoring.
People often say the NHS is a national treasure. I’ve always believed that—but I don’t think I’ve appreciated it as much as I do now. The doctors, nurses, and consultants were nothing short of brilliant-not just in how they cared for me, but in how they looked after every patient. I’m deeply grateful to them all.
