Ray McKinnon allows himself a rueful chuckle as he recounts the doctor at Ninewells Hospital delivering the diagnosis.
“He came in the room and told me it was a heart attack and even said: ‘I’m in shock’,” recalls the former Dundee United player and manager. “I said: ‘You’re in shock? How do you think I feel?’
“I was just thinking: ‘When?’ When you hear the words ‘heart attack’, you think of something far more serious than anything I felt.”
The past few days can best be described as surreal for McKinnon.
He has been inundated with kind messages from well-wishers following news of his hospitalisation, underlining the regard with which the former Brechin, Raith Rovers and Queen’s Park manager is held within the game.
“It was incredible to receive so many messages from people within the football world, friends and colleagues,” McKinnon notes. “And I can say I managed to reply to them all — I had nothing else to do for four days!”
Shock
Indeed, McKinnon — who spent the weekend in Ninewells Hospital due to the logistics of awaiting a minor procedure, rather than through necessity — couldn’t help but feel that reports of his ill-health were in danger of being exaggerated.
“That’s the right word: shock,” McKinnon tells Courier Sport. “It wasn’t frightening or a scare — because I hadn’t even realised it [the heart attack] had happened.
“I was out running last Tuesday; two minutes walking, two minutes running. Nothing too strenuous. Then I felt a slight tightness in my chest that I had never felt before.
“I played golf with friends on Wednesday then went out for another run on Thursday and I felt great. The sun was shining and I felt amazing.
“On Friday morning I had a cold sweat. It lasted for all of two minutes. I didn’t think anything of it.
“But I thought: ‘I’ll Google tight chest and cold sweats’. It said it could be indicative of a heart attack about to happen. So, I thought: ‘Well, let’s just check this out’.”
McKinnon is keen to lavish praise upon the ‘magnificent’ staff at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital, including Tom, his initial doctor and Dundee United season ticket holder.
The medical staff had the wherewithal to order additional blood works which ultimately showed that McKinnon had suffered a heart attack, despite all initial tests — and McKinnon’s general fitness — suggesting he could be safely discharged.
“After the diagnosis, I had an angiogram, where they inject dye. That showed a slight blockage in my right artery,” explained McKinnon. “They fixed it right there and then. It was a 40-minute procedure and I was home four hours later.
“I feel absolutely incredible. I kid you not, there are people looking at me in the Ferry and can’t believe it. I’m told that I’m even fitter than I was last week, when I was running and playing golf.
“These are all massive positives. I’m so glad I went to the hospital and the doctor recognised it, because it could have been something far more serious down the line. That is a real blessing in disguise.”
Hunger
And McKinnon’s attention has already turned to getting back to work.
The 51-year-old led Queen’s Park to the League 2 title in his most recent role before departing the Spiders last July.
“I’ve had a good time away from the game,” he added. “I’m feeling fit, feeling relaxed — and ready to get back to work.
“If anything, I feel even better than I did last week. And I was feeling pretty good last week.
“I think some people maybe think I’ve being lying on a ventilator! Nothing could be further from the truth.
“The last week has made absolutely no difference to my hunger or ability to get back into the dugout.”
