Heart conditions affect people of all ages
Jilly Mabbitt found out about her heart disorder by chance. A series of tests and open-heart surgery followed. Below she shares her story on World Heart Day.
“I was 10 when a nurse listened to my heart and identified a murmur. A scan showed that I had mitral valve regurgitation, so I was told to have a scan every three years,” Jilly tells MedTech Views. “Because I had no symptoms, I stopped having regular checks when I was around 18. But then in 2023 when I was 32, I went to the doctor for an unrelated issue and he said I should get it checked out.”
Mitral valve regurgitation is a condition that causes blood to leak backward into the upper left chamber of your heart instead of flowing forward to your body. It happens because the heart valve doesn’t close tightly. An echocardiogram – a non-invasive ultrasound scan using high-frequency sound waves to create moving pictures of Jilly’s heart and pumping function – picked it up.
“I spent the next 18 months undergoing numerous tests, including more echocardiograms, a bubble test, MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] and CT [computerised tomography] scans with contrast dye. They all gave a different level of detail,” explains Jilly. “The MRI showed cross-sectional images and revealed that I also had a hole in my heart. The bubble test was an echocardiogram with gas that was sent through my heart. When I coughed the doctors could see that there were bubbles going through the hole in the wrong direction. I was awake for the procedure and could see it on the screen – that was very cool!”
The CT scan helped doctors clearly see the exact size of Jilly’s mitral valve and the hole, as well as the width of her blood vessels. It helped doctors plan the hole repair and choose the size of the band that would be permanently placed around her leaky valve to tighten it.
“The surgery took six hours. As I wasn’t eligible for keyhole surgery, they had to open my chest and stop my heart while they were doing the repairs. I was attached to a machine that kept my blood pumping and oxygenated outside my body while that was happening,” says Jilly. “To reach my heart, they had to break my sternum. They tested the new valve while I was still on the table.”
Incredibly, Jilly was walking the day after her surgery and was back home in under a week. “It’s hard to believe that I had such a major surgery because I was sitting in a café sipping on coffee five days later.” she comments. “Since the surgery, my heart palpitations and chest pain when lying down have disappeared. I hadn’t realised that these were symptoms of my condition. I thought they were just due to stress.”
It’s been about a year and a half since the operation and Jilly is back to running a few times a week, working and raising her kids. Reflecting on her experience, she urges others, especially younger people like her, not to put off any unusual symptoms. “It’s better to address any issues when you’re younger and healthier. Know that you’re in safe hands and that it doesn’t mean the end of your life or career. Everything will be better because your heart will be better.”
