A VICTORIAN paramedic managed to save his own life after self-diagnosing a “massive” oncoming heart attack.

David Watson, 52, was working alone at the Casterton branch, in Victoria’s far west, when he felt a “sudden onset of crashing chest pain and tingles down both arms” about 4pm on Sunday April 30.

He ran out to the ambulance and hooked himself up to a heart monitor.

That’s when he discovered he was in trouble.

“I thought, oh ... that’s not right,” he told the 3AW breakfast program.

Mr Watson got behind the wheel of the ambulance and drove 100m to the local emergency department where he was given anti-clotting medication and painkillers.

MICA paramedics from the Hamilton unit drove an hour to tend to the emergency service relief worker.

“They basically said ‘he’s one of ours’ and took over. They gave more pain relief drugs, organised a helicopter from Bendigo and called my wife and kept her updated all the time.”

Mr Watson was flown to Geelong Hospital, and within minutes of landing he underwent surgery where a clot was removed from one of his large coronary arteries.

“I was awake the whole time. They removed a clot and put a stent in,” he said.

Mr Watson, from Torquay, will spend the next two months off recovering.

“I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I am lucky to be alive,” he said.