Hello, and welcome back it’s great to be sharing with you again.
In my previous post I shared that in late January I will be undergoing open heart surgery to repair my leaking aortic valve and the plan is to use the Ross Method, which I’ll share more details on in a later post.
Right now I want to describe the events of 2023 that have led me to today and my upcoming January surgery.
As a 42 year old mum, daughter 12, a son who is 16 and peri-menopause on the horizon, I have of recent years been trying to keep myself in shape.
I’ve not always been successful at it, my interest and enthusiasm comes and goes. I enjoy eating out, walking to the pub and enjoyed a few too many glasses of wine during the pandemic.
However, over the last couple of years I had made real progress. Regular dumbbell and strength workouts, kettlebells, spinning, an average step count of 9,000 steps a day. I was feeling great, fitter and stronger. I had a resting heart rate of 53 (which my cardiologist told me was very good). I’d even gone as far as engaging the help of an online personal coach for 6 months who helped me change the way I eat and approach my diet. I’d stopped tracking calories and weight and started talking about nutritionally dense foods.
Things were good at the start of 2023 and I needed to set myself a target. A challenge. I find exercise boring and I need to be working towards something to keep me focused. My chosen challenge was a stretch goal, a tall order so to speak; to compete in an amateur HYROX event in 2024/25. An event I’d read about online and, to my delight, had found some shared interest with some of my work colleagues too.
For those who are not familiar; HYROX is a global fitness race for Every Body. Participants from all around the world compete in the exact same format. The race starts with a 1 km run, followed by 1 functional movement, which repeats 8 times, taking place in large indoor venues, creating a unique stadium like atmosphere for all participants. You can see more at hyroxuk.com if you’re keen.
Feeling motivated I decided to have a HYROX trial run, dress rehearsal so to speak, to gauge how much work was going to be needed to get me race fit. So there I was, part way through a mock HYROX at my local gym, mid farmers carry and that was it. I couldn’t go on. My heart was pounding, light headed, I was cold, sweating and I knew this wasn’t me simply pushing myself out of my comfort zone. My body was giving me a big red flag. A really rather scary and unnerving red flag.
Interesting fact, I have three siblings, two sisters and a brother and I’m the eldest. My sister who is closest in age, two years younger, has the very same heart condition as I do. How odd you might say, well yes it is and every cardiologist I’ve met (same for my sister) says the same thing. We are doubly interesting to medical professionals as this condition is not normally genetic nor is it often diagnosed so early which makes us very good patients to listen too, as in our leaks are extremely audible through a stethoscope. No word of a lie I’ve been called a medical students dream. Anyway….
About the same time I was assessing myself for a HYROX race my sister was being referred for her surgery having discovered she has a bicuspid aortic valve. Through my sister, her cardiologist made an informal recommendation that I seek a check up to confirm if I too, had a bicuspid or tricuspid aortic valve.
A quick trip back to when I was 18. I had just moved into my own home and was delighted to be putting up my new royal blue three bulb kitchen light fitting, newly acquired from Argos, when I electrocuted myself. Quite the shock and off to A&E I went where I received an ECG. A few burns and blisters on my hands and the soles of my feet I got away unscathed. Or did I? It was this event that led to my aortic regurgitation diagnosis. A leak that I’ve likely had since birth. At 18, I was’t very interested in the diagnosis. It was meaningless. I had no symptoms so I pushed it to the back of my mind. The annual check ups to me then we’re a huge inconvenience, seemingly pointless, and the importance of dental care being made abundantly clear to me repeatedly was just boring.
Back to 2023. Following the original diagnosis I have had numerous ECG’s and Echocardiograms, even a Transesophageal echocardiogram (inside ECG) where I would hope that if I had a Bicuspid aortic valve someone would have noticed by now.
Off to the GP I went in February to explain all of the above. No surprise they agreed I was long overdue a check-in on my current health. Now I must confess I had dropped off the cardiology radar through moving around and in honesty, avoiding the topic. My last check up was after having my daughter so about 11 years ago.
The rest of 2023 plays out pretty simply after the GP visit. Next was an Echocardiogram at the local hospital to confirm if bicuspid or tricuspid valve (turns out I am tricuspid).
Followed by the cardiology clinic in April who referred me to the surgical team at the Heart and Chest hospital for an aortic repair. The cardiologist put me on an ACE inhibitor medication to protect my heart from deterioration and advised against all exercise and exertion.
Next was an MRI scan in May for a Cardiac study quickly followed by a CT scan with contrast to do an aortic valve study in June.
September I met with the first surgeon who talked me through the pros and cons of a valve being replaced vs repaired and advised that the decision to have surgery needed to be be made by a multi functional team.
November, the decision made for surgery, I met with the surgeon who specialises in the Ross method at the Heart and Chest hospital and will do my surgery next year. All pretty straight forward and I have to say Thank You to the NHS.
Now that you know more about my year I can tell you how much I have missed working out and exercising since April. I miss the well-being benefits of exercise and feeling energised. I feel like all the progress I had made recently with my fitness is being diminished on a daily basis. My fitness, my shape, my strength. My motivation and focus is gone. I sometimes find myself panicking I’ll never get it back.
And I can tell you how much I dislike taking a daily prescription medicine which has taken away my option to have a glass of wine or two of an evening. Or out for dinner with my partner. It is something he and I love to do. And how it makes me feel light headed and dizzy. And what a faff getting repeat prescriptions are, and having kidney functions tests and blood tests done whilst working.
Attending the cardiology clinic in April has made me feel like everything is on ice. It was the first time this long since diagnosed condition has had a direct impact on my day to day life. As a result it has made me feel quite restricted angry and resentful at times.
I know my woes are small in comparison to some and when I apply my logical brain I know it is short lived and for the greater good.
A final share from me today is a question I have been repeatedly asked by medical professionals over the years “Do you have any symptoms?”
It’s funny as I have never been able to answer this question with anything other than “I honestly don’t know”.
Traditional symptoms I’m asked about are breathlessness, pains in the chest, fatigue, palpitations and swollen ankles. I have had them all at some point in my life. I’ve certainly had more in recent weeks and months. But can I attribute them to my aortic leak, or is that because I am loosing my general fitness now I have stopped exercising? I don’t know, I have nothing to compare to as I’ve always had a leak which leaves me to wonder how I am going to feel after this surgery? Noticeably different, better or worse? Will I have more energy to do a HYROX a little later I wonder?
Until next time, a little often.
