When Alf Cantrell went to the doctor to refill a script, he didn't think the appointment would end with him being rushed to the hospital emergency department.
A passing comment about recent chest pain led to the discovery of several blockages in the Yeoval man's coronary arteries.
But at the time, Mr Cantrell thought it was a big fuss over nothing.
"I thought I was right and they were wrong, that there was nothing wrong with me and [the doctor] had obviously made a misdiagnosis," he said.
General practitioner Kathy Thimakis knew something was wrong when Mr Cantrell told her he'd been experiencing chest pain in the few weeks leading up to his appointment.
"She took me by the arm and took me into the next cubicle, called a nurse … and they said 'we're calling you an ambulance'," Mr Cantrell said.
Following several days of testing at the hospital it was discovered Mr Cantrell had blockages in three of his arteries ranging from 60 to 90 per cent.
He was eventually flown to Sydney for triple bypass surgery, which involved rerouting blood around the blocked arteries.
Mr Cantrell said he would never have thought to ask the doctor about his heart.
"My deterioration had probably been over a long period of time and I didn't notice it," he said.
"I think, in hindsight, that I probably would have died … but you don't realise that."
Men encouraged to speak up
Dr Thimakis said it was not uncommon for people in Mr Cantrell's age group to ignore the warning signs.
"A lot of men — and women, but a lot of men — get taught not to complain, keep pushing forward, she'll be right, and I think it's that mentality that can sometimes get us into trouble," he said.
"It's not their fault; they've been taught to be tough. But a heart attack isn't something you can just work through.
"See your GP regularly, don't stay away for years and years … don't let things wait and fester, seek help when you need it."
Mr Cantrell said he felt there was a reluctance, especially among country men, when it came to seeking healthcare.
"There's always a job to be done somewhere, you think 'I've only got a bit of a pain, I'll be right'," he said.
"I think we should all slow up a little bit and if we do have a problem that we don't understand we should talk to a doctor about it.
"It may be nothing, but better to be sure than sorry."
'Unusual' discovery a concern
Dr Thimakis said chest pain was a symptom that should never be ignored.
"[Mr Cantrell] thought I was being an alarmist that day, acting a bit over the top, and that ended on a two-month holiday to Sydney during which someone cut open his chest," she said.
"Having a gentleman who is advanced in age a little bit, having heart trouble, maybe needing a bypass, that isn't unusual.
"The fact that it kind of got picked up by accident is unusual."