Hi I’m New :))

[caitlinrigby]

Hi everyone, I am new to the community and just wanted to introduce myself and share my story. I am 18 years old and recently had open heart surgery consisting of a double valve replacement as my valves had become severely leaky in the last year.

I am 3 months post op now and I’m finally getting back to some sort of normal after a very emotional time. I have returned back to university and am enjoying getting back to doing things that normal teenagers do.

I’m actually from Sydney in Australia but I could not find an equivalent sort of community that was for Australians, so I hope you don’t mind having an Aussie infiltrating your community. If it’s any consolation my entire family is from Peterborough!! I really just wanted to have access to a community that is very supportive and welcoming like this one so that I could communicate with people who can somewhat relate to my experiences :))

[Maisie2014]

Hello Caitlinrigby. Despite to rollercoaster of a ride you’ve been on you’re obviously pretty clued up to get onto this website. Sydney isn’t so bad I suppose. My granddaughter is there at the moment enjoying the beach and the sunshine. I haven’t seen her in person since my heart attack but she face times me. I hate face time (being a wrinkly). It’s hilarious though when grandad rings. She has to shout to tell him to move the phone away from his ear 👂😂. You youngsters 😂. Nice to speak to you. Take care.

[caitlinrigby in reply to Maisie2014]

I hope you get to see your granddaughter soon, I’m sure she misses you!

[Maisie2014 in reply to caitlinrigby]

I’m sure she does even if it’s just for the entertainment value alone. We have a lot of laughs. I’m hoping she’s coming home next year. She loves the place but has only been sponsored for four years so has to change jobs every six months. You’ll have many more emotional ups and downs to come and not just from the heart op. Try to stay positive. Take care.

[Shoshov]

g’day caitlinrigby and welcome to the forum. you chose well but just a bit of advice. you need to watch that gun smoke. he’s trouble. he’s always causing trouble and mayhem 🤣. just joking. we’re all a friendly bunch here and very supportive.support is such an important part of recovery especially someone as young as you. bless your wee cotton socks. hope you continue to recover and do all the things teenagers do especially when you come from gods garden. i love australia. it’s my second home. my sisters from brisbane so i spend a lot of time there. anyway welcome ❤️shiona

[caitlinrigby in reply to Shoshov]

Thank you so much! Glad to hear you love Australia😊

[Prada47 in reply to caitlinrigby]

I love Australians to ( except Steve Smith ) LOL, visit Perth quite a bit. are you sure it was only your Heart that has been worked on ?? it's the comment that you would love to see Birmingham that makes me wonder !!!. Take care these things take quite a bit of time for a full recovery.

Regards

[Sunnie2day in reply to caitlinrigby]

Welcome, and who in their right mind doesn't like Australia (well, except the spiders, that is )?

[Calliope153]

Lovely to hear from someone who is doing well and so positive. You will find a lot of information on here and watch out for the jokes! It's a great place for getting support whatever your age. Take care.

[NorthantsSteve]

Hi Caitlin. Welcome to the forum and all the very best for your recovery and success at Uni. You’ve been through a tough time but it will make the great times you will have even better.

I’m actually not sure I should be messaging you. I live down the road from Peterborough in Northampton and there’s huge football team rivalry. I’d be kicked out of town if anyone found out is been talking to a fab of the Posh!

[caitlinrigby in reply to NorthantsSteve]

Hahaha I’m sure my dad would tell me the same about speaking to a rival, he’s always keeping up with Posh!

[christina1947]

I just want to wish u all the best in the world and from now on happy days always take care xxx

[caitlinrigby in reply to christina1947]

Thank you for your lovely words, all the best to you too xx

[Dovaston]

Hi Caitlin and a very warm welcome to this Forum which you will hopefully find informative and supportive. Wishing you well with your continuing recovery what a brave girl you are wow ❤️

[caitlinrigby in reply to Dovaston]

Thank you! Looking forward to communicating with everyone😊

[cowparsley]

Caitlin,you`re amazing!! An ispiration to us all.I`m sure you`re going to do really well in life,you certainly deserve to.

PS the jokes on this forum are pretty terrible.I don`t know which comics they`re reading,possibly the Beano! Love and best wishes xx

[caitlinrigby in reply to cowparsley]

Thank you! All the best to you x

[therug]

Welcome Caitlin, i really do hope your recovery is coming on greatly, my husband also had open heart surgery for leaky valve along with a bypass also around three months ago, you are so very young to have had this to go through but we are all here at your fingertips to help or to lend an ear, we wish you well and hope the future is bright for you , good luck with your return to Uni , regards and love x

[caitlinrigby in reply to therug]

Thank you so much. I hope your husband is doing well. All the best to you both xx

[Ianc2]

Hi Caitlin. Did you get a reason why your valves developed problems?

[caitlinrigby in reply to Ianc2]

Hi, my cardiologist said that I had done nothing to bring it on. But she did say that stress can sometimes worsen my condition. I was taking the equivalent of my A levels for the past 2 years and I worked extremely hard which put me through a lot of stress. So my cardiologist said that was probably a contributing factor. I had been getting echos done every 2 years and the results I got back 2 years ago were perfectly fine, so it seems like my heart started to rapidly decline in the past 2 years. We don’t know specifically what caused it but stress was most likely a contributing factor.

[caitlinrigby]

Thank you for your kind words! I haven’t made it to Birmingham yet but I would love to see it some day.

[Lezzers]

Hi caitlinrigby & welcome. We're a friendly supportive bunch here, I can see you've already had a Gunsmoke123 warning 😂. Best wishes for your continued recovery. I'm only 20 miles from Peterborough and my husband insists I support Posh!!