My blogs

About me

Gender	Male
Location	Darlington, UK, Nr Newcastle (North East England), United Kingdom
Introduction	My name is Dan, I am 25 years old, and this blog will detail all aspects of my heart valve surgery journey. I had a successful mitral valve repair on the 18th November 2008. I was born with a hole in the heart which fixed when I was 2 years old. I always knew I would need further surgery as I have had a mild leaking mitral valve since then. 2 months ago I had 2 cases of heart palpitations and I had to be “cardioverted” (shocked) back into a regular rhythm. After some tests it was decided that I need valve repair surgery as the leak on my valve had gone from mild to "severe". I wanted to write this blog as when I first found out I was shocked and broke down. I was terrified of the thought of surgery, the risks, the possible complications and life limitations, not to mention the scar! I immediately read around the subject and calmed down. The survival rate is 98%, and for what it is it is a fairly standard procedure with a short recovery time - relatively – I would not be limited in any way afterwards if all went well. I want to share my journey so anyone else will hopefully see it isn’t so bad.