Coping With Endocarditis

I was always athletic at the age of 6-10 competing in various running competitions for my school every year. I would be chosen by my P.E teacher to compete against other regional schools at what was called “area sports”. However this love for all areas of sport mainly athletics started to change and the big step from primary school to secondary school hit me but hit me in more ways than was normal.

I was in year 7 just getting used to the new surroundings and making new friends but things were about to change dramatically and for the worse. I came down with severe feelings of fatigue, I did not feel like going out with my friends after school which my mum realised was very strange. I went to the doctors with my symptoms of fatigue and severe sweating at nights, my mum was concerned, the doctor took blood tests and came to the conclusion that I was very anemic and I just needed to eat more protein.

However this was not working because I never felt like eating that much and things were not getting any better. My dad realised that there was something seriously wrong when he took me out with him on the weekend to play rounders with my cousins and family and I did not feel like playing. My sweating at night started to get worse my mum then took me to another doctors surgery where he said “if you were my patient you would be in hospital ages ago”.

I then was admitted to the hospital where doctors took various tests and realised i had a heart murmur. I then was kept in hospital for what I thought would be a short period but it then it became the scariest moment of my life. I was told I had endocarditus and my mum was told it was touch and go and that if I did not come in when I did I might not have been here today.

I then was in hospital for 6 weeks but luckily I made it through I am now awaiting a heart valve replacement. I am now 19 and about to finish my A levels and start university studying criminology at Plymouth.