About Me (In My Own Words)
Hi,
I was diagnosed with a heart murmur (aortic regurgitation) in 2001 in Sydney. I had moved interstate to Melbourne and in 2004 the leak became severe and I was scheduled for Ross Procedure surgery which was a success. I did 6 weeks of cardiac re-hab and felt so good that I rushed back to work. What a mistake. Although I was feeling great physically, my psychological and emotional state was not ready for a busy lifestyle. I was diagnosed with cardiac depression and was off work for 3 months and took approximately a year for a complete recovery.
However, 5 years later, aortic regurgitation developed in the aortic valve again and on September 16 2009 had an ATS mechanical valve inserted which once again, all went well. It was 5 days after the day of my operation when I received a phone call from my Father in Sydney informing me that my Mother has passed away. I was devastated (I still am). I asked the hospital for an early discharge so that I could fly to Sydney to attend the funeral which I did. I decided to stay in Sydney for my recovery (and therefore missed cardiac re-hab which I know is such an important part of the recovery process). In view of this I decided to go back to Melbourne to enter into re-hab but no sooner did I arrive when I then received news from Sydney that my Grandfather had passed away. I then flew back to Sydney to attend his funeral. It was soon after these events that cardiac depression set in that considering the circumstances was inevitable.
I know my story is extreme and that I don't want to scare anyone into that cardiac depression will happen to them but I would really like to emphasize that:
(1) Cardiac re-hab is extremely important once you have been discharged from your hospital and that you enter a programme as soon as you can.
(2) Please take as much time as you possibly can in your recovery before you return to work or try and undertake a busy lifestyle that you were accustomed to before your surgery. Life is so precious so give your mind and body all the time it needs to recover and adjust to your new life. And
(3) Do not isolate yourself from the world. Talk to your family, friends, doctors, social workers or anyone that you know. Talking about your experience helps in your recovery.
Thanks to Adam, we have the website to connect with other people and to discuss issues that are currently concerning people with new heart valves or about to have surgery.
Look forward to chatting to anyone with any concerns of their own.
Kind Regards,
Mark Reid.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Sydney, Australia
