About Me (In My Own Words)
I am a 49 year old man, living in the UK.
Two years ago, after a couple of bouts of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that lasted some 24 hours, I was diagnosed with mild mitral regurgitation. Surgery was not recommended and I was put on Ace Inhibitors. The diagnosis didn't come as a surprise as my father had the same problem and died suddenly at age 63.
The atrial fibrillation episodes continued. None were as bad as the first one, but it felt as if an episode was always lurking. The cardiologists recommended warfarin (coumadin), but as I was still young and very active, I decided to just go with aspirin.
My GP (general practitioner) agreed with my decision. He also warned me that one of the risks I was exposed to was Endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves. I asked him what the symptoms were, and he said that it was like most infections: Night sweats, headaches in the morning, a temperature in the evening, bouts of shivering.
Well last April (2009) that is exactly the symptoms I started having. I was diagnosed with Endocarditis on the 1st May 2009, and after 8 weeks in hospital on a gruelling course of antibiotics (24 June 2009), I had my mitral valve replaced with a mechanical valve.
10 months later, life is back to normal: tennis, ping pong, walking, work (software, web and database design) and hobbies such as writing short stories and novels (look me up on amazon.co.uk). I hardly notice any difference, but...
...it would be quite nice to keep a diary of where I am, so these journals just seem ideal!
Andrew Wrigley
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
-
I am from:
Scarborough, United Kingdom
