Patient Stories
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Mark Blatchly’s Heart Valve Disease Story
Mark Blatchly, Deputy Head Teacher and amateur athlete, lived a well-balanced, varied life with a healthy mix of career, family and marathon kayaking, until a shock discovery threatened to capsize everything. After decades of teaching others, he found himself learning the biggest lessons of his life: how to survive a terminal cancer prognosis, then heart valve disease. In 2014, Mark’s wife Rachel, a practising GP, noticed a lump in Mark’s neck. This proved to be cancer in a lymph node. Surgery on his neck followed and for a while Mark was stable. A few months later he found a lump [...]
Breda Sullivan: Preparing for My Second Surgery
Breda Sullivan struggled for years to convince clinicians that something was wrong until a simple stethoscope check led to a life-saving diagnosis. Born with congenital heart disease yet totally unaware of the condition or its symptoms, Breda could have died within six months without treatment. For former mental health social worker, Breda Sullivan, 68, “not feeling right” was a frustrating fact of life until she was given a simple stethoscope check. Many visits to one primary care practice then another and multiple ECG examinations all failed to detect a problem with Breda’s heart. Yet she knew something was wrong and [...]
Marina McGrath’s Heart Valve Story
Having lived with a heart murmur that was the result of rheumatic fever as a child, Marina never noticed it having an effect on her life until she reached her 50s. It wasn’t until a visit to her GP with high blood pressure that she found out she had aortic stenosis (AS). Marina has since had treatment for her AS and is now back to work at her busy job as a Midwife. This is her story. Marina had always been conscious that she had a heart murmur after being diagnosed when she was a young child, but she never [...]
Ed Smith’s Heart Valve Disease Story
While heart valve disease is a condition that most often affects an older cohort of patients, it can be found in anyone. Meet Ed Smith; Ed, in his late forties, found himself slowing down, getting breathless and lacking the energy that he once had. He had always kept himself fit and stayed quite active but as he got a bit older he was finding his usual activities were getting harder to do. After his GP referral and receiving a series of tests including an echocardiogram, Ed was diagnosed with heart valve disease. The diagnosis came as a surprise to Ed and [...]
James McElwee: My Second Valve Replacement Story
James McElwee, from King’s Health, is a retired Printer and Voluntary International Rescue worker. In 2004, aged 60, he underwent valve replacement surgery for aortic stenosis and in 2015 had his aortic valve replaced again. He has written this account to help more people to become aware of this condition, and help reassure valve disease patients of the positive outcomes of treatment. I remember my initial diagnosis very vividly. I was on a night navigational exercise with IRC training some new recruits. It was a 20 kilometre night walk across the Southern Downs. I began feeling light-headed and suddenly fainted. [...]
Gerry Kijak’s Heart Valve Disease Story
Gerry Kijak is 63 and lives in Solihull with his wife. In February 2016, he underwent double heart bypass surgery and had an aortic valve replacement due to heart valve disease. His valve disease story is especially poignant and shows just how important it is to not ignore your symptoms. I have always been fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. I don’t smoke, I exercise regularly, I eat sensibly and drink alcohol in moderation. For Christmas 2014 my wife and I, along with our two daughters, took a holiday to the Caribbean. On the first few days, I felt normal [...]
Mike Casswell’s Story
Mike is a farmer from Lincolnshire, who has always been physically active. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur thanks to a routine check at primary school. Thanks to this early diagnosis, the condition could be monitored and treated. 25 years after his replacement, Mike is able to share his valve disease success story with us. At the age of 11 during routine health checks for the new intake of pupils the GP noticed my heart was making slightly different noises than the previous 50 or so children before me, and he explained I had a murmur. Consequently, I was [...]
Helen Sadler’s Story
Helen had always been an avid traveller, but her mitral valve disease stopped that. Having lived in Bangkok for 11 years as a teacher, she was itching to get back to seeing the world. Now, after her surgery in July 2015, she reflects on her experience of valve disease, and the questions she wishes she’d asked sooner. In 2012 I had a singular incident of severe chest pain, and took myself off for an emergency doctors appointment with a GP. She called an ambulance, believing I was having a heart attack. Once at hospital I was given an angiogram and [...]
Jan Darby’s Story
Jan’s treatment pathway for her mitral and tricuspid valve disease was delayed due to misdiagnosis. Her poignant story demonstrates why Heart Valve Voice works tirelessly to raise awareness of heart valve disease, and the improved quality of life that treatment can offer. At the age of 40, I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME), and my life came to a halt. I was no longer able to work as a teacher, or continue as a Guiding and Brownies leader. Over the next 20 years my mobility deteriorated, and became so poor that I was eventually forced to use a mobility [...]
Sandra Woodfield’s Story
Sandra initially dismissed her symptoms of heart valve disease as a sign she was getting older. After falling ill at work, she visited her GP and upon further investigation was told she had heart valve disease. She explains her valve disease symptoms and diagnosis below. I had been experiencing chest pains when out walking for about six months. My children kept telling me to get it checked out, but I just told them it was a sign I was getting older and I was fine. I frequently used to get breathless and light headed if I walked too quickly but [...]
