About Me (In My Own Words)
Well, this is a surprise. Up until 2 years ago I had had zero issues with my heart; quite the opposite, as I was a pretty fit chap for late 50s, no illnesses, no surgery, no medications, last ran the London Marathon in 2019, and still maintained an unrestricted Civil Aviation Authority medical for flying (retired RAF & airline pilot). Then I had a mild brush with Covid-19 in Feb 22 which left me with palpitations and quite breathless, but still fully active. This year I had my first accident in 19 years' paragliding. My paraglider collapsed at low level and I fell 72 feet. I broke my neck, back and pelvis, thankfully with no spinal cord damage, as well as damaging the arteries in my neck (dissection). Rebuilt in May with 7 vertebrae bolted together and since then gradually recovering and regaining fitness.
Then in October 2023 a bolt out of the blue. I had noticed through monitoring my blood pressure that my diastolic (bottom number) had gone from 60s pre-accident to 40s post-accident. I'm no doctor, but I thought it odd and well below the 60 cut-off for hypotension. No interest at all from my GP surgery, despite numerous attempts to get a referral to a cardiologist. Long, boring story cut short, I finally saw a cardiologist at the end of October 2023 who immediately diagnosed aortic valve regurgitation (leaking valve) and on the severe end of the scale. This was confirmed days later with an echo and CT scans. I'm scheduled for Ross procedure surgery to replace the valve in the spring 2024.
So that's me! I'd love to hear from others in similar situations or who have been through similar experiences. Frankly, I'm scared witless by what's happened and what I know is coming soon. Any support would be very gratefully received, even if it's just a virtual hug! A problem shared is a problem halved, so they say. Thank you for reading my intro! :-)
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Fairford, United Kingdom
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Regurgitation
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My surgery was:
Ross Procedure
