Hello all,
I’m awaiting heart surgery to repair a leaky mitral valve (mitral valve regurgitation) at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
I’d be interested and grateful to hear from anyone who has had this type of heart surgery at the Freeman Hospital. Please don’t give details such as the name of your surgeon - but we can have a more personal discussion in the chat service if you are happy to do so.
Many thanks 🙂
I can’t help with any experience, but you might want to catch the recent series of ‘Geordie Hospital’. It mainly features the Freeman, and one episode included the Cath Lab and I think a valve replacement.
Many thanks for your reply Gumbie_Cat, yes I did see that episode of Geordie Hospital 🙂
Brilliant series what wonderful people
I had open heart surgery to replace my mitral valve as it was too damaged to repair as well as a single bypass in July.
I think my case was a bit more unusual than most so I have tons of advice because I was in hospital for two months and had what seemed like hundreds of procedures, including angiogram, endoscopy, MRI’s and all the usual echos/ecg etc whilst I was being diagnosed. They hoped they could repair my valve but it had a big hole in it so they decided to replace it. There was also a blockage in my right artery and they bypassed it with veins from my leg. I found out last week that the blockage in my artery was the piece of valve that had broken off. I’m kind of lucky that it travelled into my heart and not my brain.
My surgery went well but my heart needed a temporary pace maker for a few weeks and I had a really bad case of endocarditis so I spent around three weeks in hospital post surgery. I was in Bart’s Hospital in London. I spent the first three weeks of my two month stay in Royal London Hospital.
I’m pretty much fully healed now. I get some occasional stiffness in my sternum and multiple flights of stairs wipe me out but I’m really surprised at how normal I feel, I was expecting it to take longer to heal, especially given I’d already been very ill prior to the heart stuff. One thing I really noticed when I got home was how quickly I’d feel myself healing. Something I couldn’t do a week prior I’d find myself able to do almost normally.
I’ve had a couple of issues since leaving hospital, but they’ve been warfarin related (I have a metal valve and have to take it for life). I had a heart murmur from birth, which is apparently a leaky valve, just a minor one.
Happy to answer any questions I have answers for 
Many thanks for your reply Cherh, you certainly have had a tough time but great that you’re now on the road to recovery 🙏
Good luck, and I bet you will feel much better afterwards
Many thanks Digger0, fortunately my symptoms are mild and I still have normal heart function - but I know this could decline if left too long and that surgery is the best solution in the longer term.
Hi, Three times at the Freeman, so I've seen far too muh of the place.
My surgeons are long gone.
Thanks for your reply Heedio61. When were you in the Freeman and what surgery did you have done there - if you don’t mind me asking?
I dont mind, its in my bio anyway.
Surgeries were over a 20year period from 1994 - 2014.
1, Aortic Valve Replacement (1994).
2. Aortic Valve Replacement, Mitral Valve Replacement and a Pacemaker (2013).
3. Aortic Valve Replacement and Mitral Valve Repair (2014).
Pacemaker is due for battery/box change shortly, but, that will be done at Gateshead QE.
Wow that’s quite a history. I’m glad you’re ok and best wishes for the future 🙏
Hope your surgery goes well, I will need mine replaced eventually which will be major surgery not sure when as its severe aortic regurgitation and moderate stenosis but I'm still on the watching and waiting phase I have appointment on 21st so will see what my results of my tests show and I will be asking how long until they think I need surgery x
Thanks for your kind words Yumz199725 and best wishes for your future health and possible surgery. My mitral valve leak was first spotted back in 2014, when it was classed as mild. After that, I was monitored annually by a cardiologist. Unfortunately, the leak worsened in 2022 and I was then referred for repair surgery.
Sorry to hear its got worse hun it progresses slowly but still always will get worse until surgery, mine has taken about 13 years to get to severe so I'm not that worried ( well still nerve racking knowing you will to undergo major surgery for the 2nd time!) did they say how long you would be waiting?? 🤔.
Thanks for your concern. I was first referred a year ago and am anticipating that the surgery will be done sometime in the next 6-8 months - but I don’t yet have a date. One of the registrars contacted me a couple of weeks ago just to check up on me and to reassure me that they hadn’t forgotten about me.
I still feel fine and remain fit and active. We had a lovely trip to the Lakes in August and I had a brisk walk up Cat Bells and felt great.
I've had 1. A bi-ventricular pacemaker (27 June) and 2. an AV Node ablation (14 Sept) at the Freeman. They had multi purposes, 1stly to get rid of AF and 2ndly to help correct mitral valve disease (33% regurgitation) and a deficient left ventricle. I'm told they were all successful but I'm still in "recovery" phase. They would not entertain surgery because of previous aortic root graft surgery (it's a long story) I cannot praise the teams enough!
I'm 75 years old. The Freeman is THE PLACE!
Socron
What a fantastic testimony Socron - thank you so much for sharing your experience. Best wishes with your ongoing recovery 🙂🙏
Hi I had a aortic valve replacement done via TAVI at the Freeman in April My surgeon was wonderful and the nursing staff too . You can be assured you will be well looked after there It's a hospital with a great reputation for heart surgery
Many thanks for your reply Cappchina. Glad you had a positive experience - very reassuring 🙂🙏
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