From major heart surgery to mental health struggles to a long healing journey, Mike has overcome many obstacles during his life. Here, he bravely shares his journey:
(The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.)
I was born with a large atrial septal defect (ASD) in 1965, which wasn’t diagnosed until my 12-month check-up. It was repaired in 1973. I don’t remember much, if anything, of my life before my open heart surgery, but I remember struggling with severe palpitations following exercise or illness for years after the operation.
Up until the age of 21, I took digoxin, but that couldn’t deal with the palpitations, and I just had to sit them out until my heart reverted to sinus rhythm.
When I got transferred to a new cardiologist at an adult hospital, he demonstrated the Valsalva manoeuvre, which I used for 18 years to reset my heart after exercise, etc.
In 2004, the Valsalva manoeuvre stopped working, and I was admitted to hospital for intravenous amiodarone when adenosine failed to control my heart.
On the third visit, I was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW), which I’d had from birth and was the cause of the palpitations, which I found out were supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
A few months after diagnosis, I had a catheter ablation, which was a great success and stopped the SVT episodes.
It took a few years to recover but by 2009 I started to gain strength and enjoy a quiet heartbeat for the first time in my life.
In 2013, I started with a new form of palpitations, which continued for four years. Various cardio checks showed nothing untoward but the episodes, of various intensity and severity, continued.
In 2017, after another period off sick, I was referred to the occupational therapist at work who, thankfully, diagnosed a mental illness and recommended another cardio check-up (to address the fear I had in my own heart) and six weeks of CBT counselling.
The cardio check came back all clear (again!), and my counsellor built on this to advise me to challenge my anxiety by gradually increasing my physical exercise while applying breathing techniques to address the fear and slowly rebuild my confidence.
Eight years on and after many setbacks, false dawns, and perseverance, I feel that I’ve finally dealt with the deep-rooted fear. My heart is more stable again, and I feel the best I’ve felt in my life.
I discovered that I got stuck in an anxiety/palpitation/anxiety cycle, and there was nothing physically wrong with my heart (apart from the scar tissue left from my open heart surgery and the strange circuitry associated with WPW).
The counselling and subsequent recovery opened my eyes to how powerful the mind is and how devastating a mental illness can be on physical health, especially for those who have a life-long heart condition. It has also demonstrated how powerful breathing techniques and mindfulness can be on palpitations, etc.
I can’t recommend CBT counselling enough – it has changed (and possibly saved) my life and highlighted how apparent physical symptoms can be exacerbated or even created by anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
Also, the support provided by charities like Tiny Tickers is invaluable for helping to reduce the trauma and uncertainty faced by the children and their families as they navigate their lives with congenital heart disease (CHD).
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