Red Deer city Coun. Buck Buchanan is back to work and in good spirits after a heart attack a week ago.
“I feel excellent,” said Buchanan. “I don’t feel any different than I did before.”
Buchanan, 56, was prepping for the city’s capital budget meeting around 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 26 when he felt some tightness on his arms.
Buchanan said he wasn’t feeling well so his wife who drove him to Red Deer Regional Hospital.
Doctors told the third-term councillor he was having a heart attack and it was serious enough that he needed go to Calgary hospital by ground ambulance.
Buchanan underwent several tests that confirmed he had a blockage. He was admitted to the hospital where he underwent treatment and released three days later on Friday.
Doctors told him that there was no serious damage but he will now have to go for regular check-ups. Buchanan said he knows he has to keep an eye on his cholesterol levels and follow his daughter’s advice to exercise more often. He has been battling flus and colds since June.
Buchanan, a retired RCMP officer, was asked about his stress levels.
“I don’t find council stressful at all,” said Buchanan. “There are times when you get annoyed at this and that but I don’t find it super stressful.”
Buchanan jokingly confirmed the stress of the capital budget debate did not cause his heart attack. He said he was actually “jacked up” to delve into the 50-metre pool debate.
crhyno@redddeeradvocate.com