“I don’t have to be an old man at 67.”

Bill and his partner Raz at Signal Hill

Bill Power figured his body was telling him he was getting old and needed to slow down. He was doing some work on his daughter’s house in Newfoundland, but the effort left him more fatigued than usual. And when he returned to his Ottawa condo, the elevator was broken. After climbing five flights, Bill was winded and felt a strange pressure in his chest.

Bill, then age 64, would soon learn that what he thought were normal signs of aging were actually symptoms of heart valve disease. He shared his story with Heart Valve Voice Canada.

Before you were diagnosed, what did you know about heart valve disease?

Absolutely nothing. I knew people my age had bypasses or stents; it happened to a couple of my coworkers. But I was not aware that things can go wrong with your heart valves.

How did you learn you had a heart valve problem?

In 2021, I got a letter saying my family doctor had retired. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years because of COVID.

The same thing had recently happened to my partner, Razia, and she had put her name down at several clinics. Thanks to her, I ended up connecting with a new doctor. He insisted on seeing me in person and went through some routine checks.

When he listened to my heart with a stethoscope, he took an extra long time on my back. “You know you’ve got a heart murmur,” he said. “We’re going to send you for an echocardiogram.”

Meanwhile, I'm thinking, what is a heart murmur?

How did you get diagnosed with valve disease?

At my echocardiogram, I could hear the blood going through the valves and I thought I heard something that didn’t sound right – like regurgitation

Of course, the technician could not tell me the test results. But I had mentioned to him about my new doctor. And he just said, “It’s a good thing your old doctor retired.”

So, I was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis.

It was a relief to know what was causing my symptoms — I had a valve that was no longer working the way it should.

What happened after your diagnosis?

During this period, I had pretty much stopped doing any physical activity. I didn’t want to take a walk around the block because I knew I was going to feel fatigued.

After a second echo, I met with a specialist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute to discuss my options for treatment. He said I needed a valve replacement. It could be done by open heart surgery or TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation), where they insert the new valve through your blood vessels, from an incision in your groin.

The doctor made it clear that the decision was mine. He clearly outlined all the details of the procedures and recovery times. TAVI is recommended more often for older people, because the recovery is easier. At 65, I was right on the cusp.

The doctor said with TAVI, I would be able to go to work on Monday. “You’ll be a bit sore, but you’ll be functional.” With open-heart surgery, the recovery is six weeks and longer. My brother-in-law had open-heart surgery and his recovery was quite difficult, with brain fog and other symptoms.

I was happy with the way everything was explained to me. I decided on TAVI. I work as a self-employed IT consultant, so if I’m not working, I’m not being paid.

How was your recovery?

The procedure went well and I was home the next day.

I had a bit of soreness at the incision in my groin, but that was expected. I wanted to see if I could walk a flight of stairs. All good! A few hours later, I walked two flights. There was none of the “thumpa-thump” I had been experiencing in my heart. That felt so good.

And Razia said, “You have colour in your face! You don’t look so drained.”

Within a few weeks, I was walking between 4 and 5 km most days, depending on the weather

How are you doing today?

I found that I don't have to be an old man at 67. TAVI gave me my life back, because the life I had was sedentary. Now I’ve got energy. My mind is clear.

I’m back to physical work, for example, building steps and doing the landscaping for a mini-home I had installed on my property in Newfoundland. And I still walk 4 or 5 km most days.

I take medication for my blood pressure, and that’s fine. I’ve changed my diet. I drink a lot more water than I used to. I still enjoy the occasional pint of Guinness, but that’s because of my Irish ancestry.

I can’t keep up with the grandkids, but who can?

What do you wish more people knew about heart valve disease?

As we age, everybody's got a little bit of wear and tear on their heart. But if you can't walk a flight of stairs, go get checked. If you can't walk around the block without getting winded, go get checked. And if you start doing strenuous exercise and you get dizzy, then definitely go get checked!

Also, I wish that stethoscope checks were available without going to the doctor — like the blood pressure monitors at the drugstore. I would have taken advantage of that.

Published February 12, 2024

I’m back to physical work….and I still walk 4 or 5 km most days.

.