B737 CAPT FELT AS THOUGH HE WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK. MEDICAL EMER WAS DECLARED; AND FLT DIVERTED TO ARPT WITH MEDICAL PERSONNEL AWAITING ARRIVAL.

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ENRTE SHORTLY AFTER WE LEVELED OFF AT OUR CRUISE ALT OF FL320; THE CAPT SAID; DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE A SHORT BREAK? I SAID NO PROB GO AHEAD I WILL FLY THE AIRPLANE AND TALK TO AIR TFC CTL. I WAS THE PF AND THE CAPT WAS THE PNF. A COUPLE OF MINS LATER I NOTICED THE CAPT WAS PULLING OUT HIS OXYGEN MASK; AND STARTED BREATHING OXYGEN. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT BECAUSE SOMETIMES IF YOU'RE A LITTLE TIRED; BREATHING OXYGEN HELPS YOU FEEL BETTER. SHORTLY AFTER THAT I LOOKED OVER AT HIM AND HE WAS SWEATING PROFUSELY! AT THAT POINT I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS THAN JUST BEING A LITTLE TIRED; SO I ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED ME TO CALL THE FLT ATTENDANT ON THE INTERPHONE AND ASK HER IF WE HAD ANY QUALIFIED MEDICAL PEOPLE ON BOARD. HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID YES. SO I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND SAID; DON'T BE ALARMED BUT WOULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR AND ASK IF WE HAVE A DOCTOR; OR A NURSE; OR ANY QUALIFIED MEDICAL PEOPLE ON BOARD? SHE SAID YES. THE FLT ATTENDANT PROMPTLY CALLED ME BACK AND SAID YES WE HAVE SOMEONE ON BOARD. I SAID GOOD; HERE IS WHAT'S GOING ON. THE CAPT IS NOT FEELING WELL; AND HE NEEDS MEDICAL ATTN; HE IS BREATHING OXYGEN AND IS SWEATING PROFUSELY. PLEASE TELL THIS MEDICAL PERSON OF HIS CONDITION AND GET BACK TO ME. SHE SAID OK. SHORTLY AFTER THAT SHE CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SAID THIS PERSON WAS A NURSE PRACTITIONER AND WANTED TO TALK TO THE CAPT; I SAID OK; SO I TOLD THE CAPT THAT THE NURSE WANTED TO TALK TO HIM AND ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS. HE SAID OK; HAVE HER COME UP TO THE COCKPIT. SO I COORDINATED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT TO HAVE THE NURSE COME TO THE COCKPIT. WHEN THE NURSE CAME TO THE COCKPIT SHE ASKED THE CAPT IF HE WAS ON ANY MEDICATION FOR ANYTHING? HE SAID HE WAS TAKING MEDICATION FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. AFTER EVALUATING HIM THE NURSE SAID SHE WANTED THE CAPT TO LEAVE THE COCKPIT AND GO TO THE CABIN OF THE ACFT WHERE HE COULD LIE DOWN; AND SHE COULD PROPERLY TREAT HIM. IN THE MEANTIME I CONTACTED DISPATCH ON ACARS AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE SITUATION; AND TOLD THEM WE WOULD POSSIBLY HAVE TO DIVERT. AFTER I NOTIFIED DISPATCH; I CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND WE COORDINATED THE PROC FOR OPENING THE COCKPIT DOOR; AND HAVING THE CAPT PROCEED TO THE CABIN OF THE AIRPLANE. I ALSO HAD ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS STAY WITH ME IN THE COCKPIT BECAUSE I KNEW IT COULD GET REAL BUSY AND I MIGHT NEED HER HELP; ALSO FOR SECURITY REASONS I THOUGHT IT BEST TO NOT BE ALONE IN THE COCKPIT. AFTER GIVING THE NURSE SOME TIME TO TEND TO THE CAPT; I ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS WITH ME IN THE COCKPIT TO CALL THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE BACK; AND HAVE HER ASK THE NURSE IF SHE THOUGHT WE SHOULD PROCEED TO DEST; OR IF SHE THOUGHT WE NEEDED TO LAND SOONER THAN THAT. AFTER TALKING WITH THE NURSE THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED THE COCKPIT; AND SAID THE NURSE INDICATED THAT WE NEED TO LAND ASAP! AFTER I HEARD THAT I LOOKED AT OUR POS; AND SAW THAT WE WERE JUST TO THE E OF ZZZ AND ZZZ1. I NOTIFIED DISPATCH OF OUR POS; AND THEY INDICATED IF WE WERE GOING TO DIVERT; TO GO TO ZZZ. AFTER THAT I IMMEDIATELY DECLARED A MEDICAL EMER WITH AIR TFC CTL; AND TOLD THEM OF OUR SITUATION; AND SAID WE NEEDED TO DIVERT TO ZZZ. THEY IMMEDIATELY GAVE US A LOWER ALT; AND GAVE US A HDG VECTOR TOWARDS THE ARPT. AT THIS POINT I WAS BUSY CHANGING THE DEST ARPT IN THE FLT MGMNT COMPUTER. ALSO; I WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH ALL THE CHKLIST PROCS; TO PREPARE FOR OUR DSCNT AND APCH; AND LNDG. I CONSIDERED LEAVING MY SEAT; AND MOVING OVER TO THE CAPT'S SEAT; BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS; FIRST THE CAPT'S EARPIECE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE HEADSET; AND SECOND; I DIDN'T FEEL IT WAS SAFE TO LEAVE MY SEAT; AND HAVE NO ONE AT THE CTLS; ALSO I FELT MORE COMFORTABLE FLYING FROM MY SEAT! I HAD THE FLT ATTENDANT HELP ME ACCOMPLISH THE APCH; DSCNT CHKLIST; AND IN THE MEANTIME THE ATC CTR HANDED US OFF TO APCH CTL; WHO ADVISED US OF OUR LNDG RWY. THE WX AT THE TIME WAS CLR; AND VISIBILITY; UNRESTRICTED. APCH CTL HANDED US OFF TO TWR; WHO GAVE US VECTORS FOR THE VISUAL APCH. AFTER WE LANDED; WE ROLLED OUT; AND I EXITED THE RWY; CLRED THE RWY; AND SET THE PARKING BRAKE. I KNEW TIME WAS CRITICAL; AND I NEEDED TO GET THE CAPT TO THE GATE QUICKLY; SO AFTER SETTING THE PARKING BRAKE; MOVED OVER TO THE L SEAT; SO I WOULD HAVE THE TILLER TO STEER THE ACFT TO THE GATE. I HAVE VERY LIMITED STEERING OF THE ACFT FROM MY SEAT! ONCE WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE; THE AMBULANCE WAS THERE WAITING FOR US TO TEND TO THE CAPT. HAVE BEEN WITH THIS COMPANY FOR 9 YRS; AND I AM PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A VERY PROFESSIONAL GROUP OF FLT ATTENDANTS. THEY HANDLED THE SITUATION EXTREMELY WELL! I AM THANKFUL FOR THEIR HELP; AND FOR THE HELP OF THE MEDICAL PEOPLE WE HAD ON BOARD WITH US. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 738289: WE HAD JUST LEVELED OFF AT FL320. I BEGAN TO FEEL A BIT NAUSEOUS. THE COPLT WAS FLYING AND I TOLD HIM TO TAKE THE RADIOS. I BEGAN TO DON O2. THEN I BEGAN TO SWEAT PROFUSELY FOR ABOUT 5 MINS. MY LEFT ARM BECAME NUMB AND PART OF MY LEFT LEG. I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE HAVING A HEART ATTACK. WE DIVERTED TO ZZZ AND LANDED. THE ACFT ARRIVED AT A GATE WHERE A PARAMEDIC TOOK ME OFF THE ACFT. THE CREW DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB KEEPING THE COPLT INFORMED ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH MY MEDICAL STATUS AND THE COPLT DID A TERRIFIC JOB OF GETTING THE ACFT DOWN SAFELY AND GETTING ME TO MEDICAL ATTENTION.