My heart is like a ticking bomb...
HOW A FIT AND HEALTHY YOUNG WOMAN DEALS WITH A HEART DISEASE
SARAH Gibney has always been a fit and healthy woman with a high flying career and everything to live for.
But she is part of a worrying, rising trend - that of Mancunians suffering from heart disease at a relatively young age.
Sarah, a financial advisor, was born with her condition.
But in many cases heart disease is preventable - and in Manchester it is claiming more and more lives.
It is so closely related to lifestyle issues in Manchester there could be a risk people with underlying conditions do not get diagnosed, because they don’t fit the profile of a heart patient.
In Sarah’s case, her age and healthy lifestyle meant a GP didn’t test her for heart disease when she requested it.
If the doctor had, he would have found she suffered a serious underlying condition which means she is at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest and stroke.
“My GP said ‘your blood pressure is fine, you won’t have blocked arteries, you would have had symptoms, don’t worry about it,’”, the 40-year-old from Astley said.
As it turned out, Sarah had a rare genetic structural heart defect called Left Ventricle Non-Compaction.
She is now keen to encourage others to get tested for coronary problems, as new figures show that the number of people dying prematurely from heart disease is on the rise in Manchester.
Sarah was first prompted to see her GP ten years ago, because her dad had died from multiple organ failure, caused by heart disease, when he was just 50.
Five years after she was told not to worry by her doctor, a family friend died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart disorder.
The shock made Sarah, who told the M.E.N she ‘always questions things,’ seek further advice on her own case from the charity, Cardiac Risk in The Young.
The charity arranged for a consultant, and after she told them about her family history, she had a full screening. She then found that did have a heart defect, which means she’s in the early stage of heart failure, and has since been fitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator.
Although Sarah hasn’t suffered any symptoms, she describes her condition as being like a ‘ticking time bomb,’ as blood isn’t pumped around her heart properly due to problems with an enlarged left ventricle.
Getting the diagnosis was a huge blow for Sarah, who had watched her father’s health deteriorate.
“When I got diagnosed I thought ‘I’m going to be like him, I’m going to be really ill’”, she told the M.E.N. “Dad smoked 60 a day and had a very inactive life and I didn’t want to be like that.
“He didn’t do anything all day, he sat at home. He had no job. He was on dialysis at the end.”
Determined not to suffer the same fate as her dad, following her diagnosis, Sarah dedicated herself to living a healthy lifestyle, to improve her chances. And, at the end of June this year, she cycled from London to Amsterdam. “It was brilliant, the best thing I’ve ever done. When I got the diagnosis I threw myself into work and the gym, it helps with the physical side, but also the mental side. You feel better about yourself.” People living in the city of Manchester are almost three times as likely to die early from heart disease than anywhere else in the country. Figures, from Public Health England, reveal that 1,142 adults under the age of 75 in Manchester died of heart disease between 2014 and 2016. That’s up from 1,092 similar cases seen during the previous three year period, and 1,049 in 2012 to 2014. Heart disease can be congenital, like in Sarah’s case, but how someone lives their life - like her father - can also have a drastic impact on whether or not their condition gets worse. Experts at the British Heart Foundation Sarah Gibney say the likelihood of suffering from heart conditions is linked to high rates of deprivation.
According to the Indices of Deprivation 2015, Manchester has the fifth highest levels of deprivation in the entire country.
Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Socio-economic factors can have a significant effect on someone’s risk of heart and circulatory diseases.
“This is largely due to unhealthier lifestyles, such as being more likely to smoke and less likely to regularly eat fruit and vegetables. There’s also research suggesting people from lower socio-economic backgrounds may be less likely to report any warning signs to their GP.
“Unfortunately, people living in Manchester are up to three times more likely to die early from heart and circulatory diseases than those living in other parts of the UK.
“It’s why it’s so important that people look after their health and get regular check-ups.”
She added: “The good news is that, no matter what your circumstances are, you can take steps to reduce your risk by adopting a healthier diet, keeping active, quitting smoking and making sure you see your GP when something isn’t right.”