About Me (In My Own Words)
My heart valve op was on Nov 16th 2016 but up until a few weeks prior to that I had no idea that I even had a heart valve problem. I’d had some minor symptoms (fatigue and some breathlessness for a while) so when I went to my GP for a check-up he discovered a murmur and referred me to a cardiologist for investigation. Meantime he prescribed blood pressure medication and asked that I return again in 4 weeks. However during that time I developed severe pains in my chest and back which would ease as the day progressed. When I returned to my GP on Nov 3rd he fortunately ran an ECG, and realising all was not well, he called an ambulance and I was admitted to the Coronary Care Unit of my local hospital in the south-east of Ireland. There they did further ECGs, Echo etc., and knew very soon that I had severe Aortic Stenosis and possible coronary artery blockages, requiring Aortic Valve Replacement and some bypasses as soon as possible. So it was all very sudden and unexpected to say the least.
I remained in the local hospital until a bed became available in a different hospital where they specialised in cardiac surgery. On the 15th of November I was informed that I would be going to Dublin to have the op on the 16th.
Somehow I managed to remain calm about it all, though in hindsight I think it was my way of coping with what lay before me! I was fortunate to be the first for surgery that day. After 8:30am on Nov 16th I remember very little for the next few days during my recovery in ICU & amp; CTHDU, fortunately my wife kept a dairy of the events that unfolded. I was told that everything was a success and that I had 5 by-passes and a tissue valve replacement.
I’m now 7 months in recuperation and still in pain particularly around my chest and still taking up to 8 paracetamol per day. The doctor says some people take longer to heal than others. The early months were very difficult, psychologically and physically but fortunately the psychological aspects have passed and I don’t feel as vulnerable or emotional as I did. I try to get out and walk for a minimum of an hour every day to increase my fitness and I’m determined to return to full health, hopefully all going well, by November 2017.
The update is that now in July this year(2021) while having a routine Echocardiogram, and being quite symptomatic, it was diagnosed that the tissue valve had become tightened (stenosis) and I would need another operation. Initially it was thought I would be suitable for a TAVR/TAVI, but the various TOE/TEEs showed that I possibly required a further CABG also. I was in hospital (local) and then transferred to the Coronary Care Unit in The Mater Hospital, Dublin , over 2 months altogether, while waiting for surgery. The surgeon recommended a mechanical valve, which I had not even wanted to consider. However, I want to have the best chance of living a full life. My surgery date is Sept 22nd, 2021.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Dunmore East, Ireland
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My surgery date is:
November 16, 2016
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I was diagnosed with:
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Coronary Artery Disease
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Lars Nolke
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My hospital is:
Mater Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
