One year anniversary

[GreenGiant91]

Can't believe this time last year I was going into surgery to have my aortic valve replaced with a shiny new mechanical valve. I came on this forum a few weeks before asking for advice and was blown away by how many people on here messaged me. I learnt so much from everyone on here on living life with a ticking heart and taking warfarin.

I thought I would just update on how life has been this year in the hope someone in the future who is waiting for their new valve can read it and see life does get back to normal. I'm 33 but had my surgery when I was 32.

So I ended up contracting endocarditis in 2023 and spent around 4 months going to my local GP who dismissed me and told me I had long covid only to be taken more serious as the doctor could see me physically deteriorate in front of his eyes. I ended up in hospital early August 2023 where I spent 7 weeks getting scans and IV antibiotics every 4 hours. The final scan on my valve showed to was now moderate leaky and I would just be kept under review. I got home for a grand total of 3 weeks before losing vision in my left eye for around 5 minutes (pretty scary thing to happen), straight up to hospital again where I was scanned a few days later to the shock of the doctors that my heart valve had completely deteriorated to the point it was causing the left side of my heart to enlarge, they believe dead infection broke off the valve leaving a hole behind.

So began the 4 week wait in hospital for surgery, I was terrified and thought for sure I would probably be dead soon. I just believed I wouldn't get through surgery but thats where this forum showed me my fears were based on nothing. You guys helped ease so many anxieties for me. Post surgery was grim I was told I had heart failure post surgery due to the left ventricle not pumping properly but the doctors were all hopeful this would soon correct itself. I was put on a BUNCH of medication (9 in total). I didn't get home for another 3 weeks as they wanted to give me more antibiotics to make sure no infection would reappear.

3 months later I had a scan of my heart that showed everything was working properly and no longer in heart failure. I started to get back in my life, went back to work, went out for walks and tried to make the most of things. I did notice I felt sluggish though and couldn't work out why I would feel tired in the evenings more than normal but I powered through. My cardiologist took me off most of my meds so from 9 to 2 a day. The sluggish feeling I had disappeared and I feel more like my old self again with energy levels.

Ive been hiking, exercising and travelling in the past 3/4 months which is something I feared I might never do again when I was first told I needed surgery. I went on my first solo holiday too which is something I wouldn't have thought was possible even 6 months ago due to my sluggish energy and worry something would go wrong. I'm trying to make the most out of life, trying new things and hoping to get many many more years out of my new valve.


Thanks again to everyone on here and for anyone who's about to go through this surgery YOU GOT THIS!!

View from my first hike post surgery, I felt like a child on Christmas morning at the top of that peak.

 

[3mm]

Awesome recovery! I also had Endocarditis, but a mild case compared to yours. Very scary, and I think it is important to ensure people understand how easily it is misdiagnosed until after the damage is done.

Where is this picture from? I'm currently reading Bernard Cornwell's "Enemy of God" novel, which is set in Dumnonia during the 500 AD era. I understand that is modern southwest England around Devon.

 

[GreenGiant91]

Awesome recovery! I also had Endocarditis, but a mild case compared to yours. Very scary, and I think it is important to ensure people understand how easily it is misdiagnosed until after the damage is done.

Where is this picture from? I'm currently reading Bernard Cornwell's "Enemy of God" novel, which is set in Dumnonia during the 500 AD era. I understand that is modern southwest England around Devon.

Yeah it's a scary illness to have and my doctors liked to remind me how lucky I was due to how long I had been unwell for.

So the photo is from a hike I done in a place called the 'Mourne mountains' in Northern Ireland. Fun fact C.S Lewis used the landscape as inspiration for writing Narnia.

 

[dornole]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Had MVR in October and Hiking is definitely my #1 thing I am longing for. Definitely
will be like a child on Christmas morning! Happy for you.

 

[GreenGiant91]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Had MVR in October and Hiking is definitely my #1 thing I am longing for. Definitely
will be like a child on Christmas morning! Happy for you.

Hope recovery is going well for you, as I say to others take it easy and build up slowly. Recovery is different for everyone. I made a list in hospital of things I wanted to do this year, hiking and travelling were at the very top. I'm glad to have done both. You'll feel a new sense of pride when you do your first hike, its an unreal feeling.

 

[Chuck C]

Thanks for the update! And thanks for such a high level of detail. This is the kind of information which will help many other members, some of whom probably haven't even found us yet.

You had a rough ride, but very glad to hear how much your recovery has progessed and that you're doing so well now.

trying new things and hoping to get many many more years out of my new valve.

That one valve should take you into old age. Usually, mechanical valves are one and done.

You'll probably feel even better as the months and years pass. I know that my cardio output improved a great deal, even after the one year point.

Wishing you all the best and please keep us posted.