Patient Stories
CATEGORIES:
Timothy Powell – 10 Years On (Out of 150)
In 2014, Timothy Powell was treated for mitral valve disease after being diagnosed at a routine health check. As Timothy approaches the 10-year anniversary of his surgery, he reflects on his post-treatment journey. You may be wondering about the title of my article, which is intended to cover my experience in the (nearly) ten years since I underwent mitral valve [...]
Dave Swanton’s Mitral Valve Disease Story
Dave Swanton was first diagnosed with heart valve disease in 2018. Fast-forward to 2020, and Dave's condition had deteriorated. Due to the pressures of Covid, he was told he would need to wait for surgery, but was advised to seek medical help immediately if his symptoms change - which is exactly what he did. Thanks to the work by the [...]
Angie Martin: my second open-heart surgery story
Angie's valve disease story started when she was a small girl after she was born with a hole in her heart. Fast forward 40 years and Angie's leaky valve began to deteriorate. After being told she needed an operation, a pandemic stopped the world in its tracks. However, despite the pressures on the health service, thanks to the brilliant work [...]
Steve McCabe MP: My mitral repair story
Birmingham MP, Steve McCabe was diagnosed with heart valve disease twelve years ago. As with many heart valve disease patients he had not experienced any obvious symptoms. His GP detected a heart murmur during a routine check-up. It came as a bit of a shock as he was fit and healthy. He later underwent treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. “If not treated [...]
Lisa Condley: My Endocarditis Story
During March of 2017 Lisa was receiving physiotherapy for her Achilles Tendinitis and started experiencing symptoms of joint pains in her elbow and knees. The physiotherapist suggested that she go to her GP for a check up. Blood works were done and an inflammation was noted however nothing was done about it. The symptoms of joint pain were having an [...]
Alan Holmes: My Mechanical Valve Story
It was during a company health check in 2000 that Alan discovered he had a heart murmur. After being told it wasn’t serious it was left alone until 2010 when Alan started to receive an annual ECG (echocardiogram) to check on the progress of the disease. Due to his leaky valves, this resulted in Alan’s heart becoming enlarged which could [...]
Bridie Lilleker’s Heart Valve Disease Story
Three years ago, there was a black cloud over Christmas when Bridie Lilleker (33) was told that ‘under no circumstances’ could she try for a baby due to the extreme pressure it would put on her heart. Just eight weeks previously, she’d been diagnosed with severe mitral valve regurgitation, and the day before Christmas Eve she saw her surgeon. Her [...]
Victor Hyman Heart Valve Disease Story
Victor Hyman was completely unaware of his heart valve disease. Whilst on holiday in Turkey in 1994, he was visited by a local doctor for an upset stomach. While his stomach was fine, he was surprised to find out in fact he had a problem with his heart as the doctor had detected a murmur after listening to his heart with [...]
UK Mini Mitral Trial: Brian’s Heart Valve Disease Story
Over the next few weeks, in support of the South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK Mini Mitral Trial, a multi-centre randomised control trial on Minimally invasive thoracoscopically-guided right minithoracotomy versus conventional sternotomy for mitral valve repair, we will be sharing a number of patients stories from patients who have been involved in the trial. The third story comes from [...]
UK Mini Mitral Trial: Mary’s Heart Valve Disease Story
Over the next few weeks, in support of the South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust UK Mini Mitral Trial, a multi-centre randomised control trial on Minimally invasive thoracoscopically-guided right minithoracotomy versus conventional sternotomy for mitral valve repair, we will be sharing a number of patients stories from patients who have been involved in the trial. The second story comes from Mary, [...]
