It’s one
year today since my broken heart was fixed.
Me I kind of relished it. I really didn’t mind being 50. In fact, in some ways, it was the
excuse I wanted for ageing, allowing me to have grey hair (even though I still dye
it), wrinkles and the odd aches and pains.
For me, it
was more of an opening of a new chapter in my life. Turning 50 happened during
lockdown (or one of the versions) so instead of the traditional big party, it
was a series of intimate lunches, many of them outdoors, with close friends and
family, all with prosecco. I share my birthday with my eldest child, so the
focus wasn’t even really on me but on a beautiful boy turning 14 (now 16).
So 2021 and
turning 50 was shaping up to be about new beginnings
- v
a
new sense of place - lockdown had to finish sometime and we could get back
outside and into the open to enjoy our freedom
- v
new
relationships - I'd recently separated after a 25-year relationship and was in
the early stages of a new friendship
- v
new
found confidence - being 50 gave me a sense of authority I’d never felt when
younger
and then
things changed…
The diagnosis
A routine
check-up uncovered a sudden spike in blood pressure with no obvious cause.
Blood
pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries.
Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. Your blood
pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day. (CDC.UK)
As a
general guide: (NHS.UK)
- ideal
blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg
- high
blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher
- low
blood pressure is considered to be below 90/60mmHg
I say a
spike for anyone with knowledge about blood pressure mine read 228/80 – the
staff at my GP surgery still talk about it. This led to a few months of
investigations. To cope with trips to ‘special investigations’ and having what
seemed every fluid in your body tested, plus multiple blood tests at specific
times of day and after specific medication, I imagined myself as a superhero –
not sure what my superpower would be but maybe one day I’ll find out.
However, these uncovered an adrenal adenoma – a benign tumour on my adrenal gland (who
knew that even existed and phew nothing to worry about), confirmation of
perimenopause (no surprise there) and then news that I'd been living with a heart
defect for 50 years (it would actually turn out that I had two heart defects).
That was the shocker. Yes, since my birth I’d had a heart defect without
knowing it, but it was only now starting to affect my body.
Adrenal
glands, also known as suprarenal glands, are small, triangular-shaped glands
located on top of both kidneys. Adrenal glands produce hormones that help
regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and
other essential functions. (John Hopkins)
An
adrenal adenoma is a benign (noncancerous) tumour that forms in your adrenal
glands. It's the most common type of adrenal gland tumour. Most adrenal
adenomas don't produce symptoms or require treatment. (Cleveland Clinic)
I found out
whilst sitting on a bus travelling home immediately after an echocardiogram.
An echocardiogram
or "echo", is a scan used to look at the heart and nearby blood
vessels. It's a type of ultrasound scan, which means a small probe is used to
send out high-frequency sound waves that create echoes when they bounce off
different parts of the body. (NHS.UK)
The very
nice consultant waited to speak until I’d alighted the bus, then started to
explain what was wrong with my heart. She wanted me to hear the diagnosis
before receiving a random hospital appointment to see a cardio specialist. She
wasn’t a heart specialist, indeed wasn’t even my consultant anymore as my
benign tumour needed no further treatment but she had been copied in and as the
intended consultant was on long-term sick, she contacted me directly. Now that’s
great customer service.
It was much
appreciated but I didn’t really take much in apart from the words Bicuspid
Aorta Valve. I’d never heard the phrase before, but I knew it was something I
could google so those were the words I made sure I remembered.
A problem
present from birth in which the aortic valve only has 2 flaps instead of the
usual 3, which can cause problems as you get older. (NHS.UK)
A Bicuspid
Aorta Valve is a congenital heart defect. This means it is present at birth. Rather
than what it should be … a tricuspid valve (three parts), mine only has two
parts (in medical terms leaflets) so fails to look like a Mercedes badge.
These leaflets open and close to let the blood through. Over time the defective
valve wears out quicker, narrows and fails to close properly. At this point, it
is then generally picked up by the medical profession.
The internet
tells me that between 0.5% and 1% of the population have it – most unknowingly.
It’s also not unheard of for a valve to have only one part or even four but
that’s much rarer. There is no cure but there is the option of a repair or
replacement through surgery. So I’m currently getting my head around the fact
that at some point I’ll probably need heart surgery.
My
Bicuspid Aorta Valve
I don’t know
how many times I’ve googled Bicuspid Aorta Valve, but it’s a lot. The internet
is your friend (and foe) when you get a medical diagnosis. My former consultant
had rightly assumed I’d googled everything there was to know about my adrenal
tumour in our conversations. Now I don’t think there is a page on the internet
referencing BAV that I haven’t read, and many times over. Even those in medical
journals aimed at people with far more detailed knowledge of the condition. But
I believe in information being power and informed decision making. Unsurprisingly
there are multiple Facebook Groups too where people with BAV connect – around
the world. However my first consultation with a cardiologist in April 2022,
when I found out more and got to ask an expert some questions.
After a few
more tests the MRI and transoesophageal echocardiogram (I’ll write more about
these later) the decision for surgery was made.
I met and selected (more of that later) my surgeon and the type of operation in May, had my pre-op assessment in June and finally surgery after 5 cancellations (thankfully I only knew about 2 of them) on 15 September 2022.
One year ago.
 heart){kind=link}
0 Comments