.jpg)
The one that took Jan’s breath away
Open heart surgery to treat damaged heart valves has improved Jan's overall health.
Jan Nelson thought she was having another asthma attack, but when a series of tests confirmed that her aortic valves were damaged, she had open heart surgery and is now walking and going to the gym three times a week.
Jan Maree, 55, was happily married with two grown-up children and was a long-term asthmatic who couldn’t walk down the street without running short of breath. After she had open heart surgery to replace calcified valves in her heart, Jan is now more physically active and even the asthma has gone.
Jan’s heart story
It really wasn’t until I married and changed my doctor that I was given the correct diagnosis. I’m an asthmatic, or seasonal asthmatic. At least twice a year, I’d get bad bouts of asthma – especially if the temperature was fluctuating or if there was heavy pollen in the air. Sometimes it could be triggered by a simple cold.
But I learned to manage the symptoms – shortness of breath and sweatiness – with oral steroids and a range of puffers. Despite the medication, however, there was no improvement.
I thought I was getting an infection in my lungs because of my asthma, which caused the sweatiness. I had done all my normal steps but there were no improvements. In fact, I was getting worse and I just couldn’t understand why.
I went to my GP, who put me on a nebuliser, rather than a puffer thinking that would improve my asthma but a week later, I just felt ill. Then one morning when I was getting ready for work, I was extremely short of breath in the shower. My husband kept saying I shouldn’t go to work, but I insisted – even though I felt awful. I had only begun working as an admin manager for a private firm – in November of the previous year – so I hadn’t been working long at all.
Eventually, I did agree to drop in at a clinic on the way to work – not expecting anything grim – certainly not life-changing. I still thought it was the asthma. At the clinic, I was placed in a treatment room and given an ECG (electrocardiogram), which registered my heart rhythm as normal even though I felt hot and clammy.
At that stage, they didn’t think I’d had a heart attack, but that I may have had a blood clot in my lungs. I was then sent to St Andrews hospital where I underwent more tests and scans but it wasn’t until the results of the first blood tests were received that we finally knew. The registrar in emergency told me: “You’re going to be here a while.”
I was then admitted for a week and placed under a cardiologist.
The CT Scans showed that my aortic valves were not functioning properly as they were heavily calcified. They initially tried to manage it with blood pressure medications so I ended up on 15 to 20 tablets a day in total. When the medications failed to work, I was scheduled for open heart surgery in July of last year, to have the damaged valves replaced.
I was told there was a 98 per cent chance I would make it. So – you get your house in order, you get your Will ready.
I think it’s harder for the family; my husband is a bit of a worry wart and he was worried before the surgery, but he would never show it in front of me.
My children visited me. After the surgery, they brought their laptops and did their assignments next to me, they sat with me.
After the surgery, I was sent home but wasn’t allowed to travel to work especially as there were two flights of stairs to climb – and no lifts. I still worked – but I just worked from home. I just put a whiteboard up at home. My bosses and everyone at work were really wonderful.
Since my surgery, I have noticed a distinct improvement in my general health. Before the surgery, I couldn’t even walk down to the end of the street, 600 metres away, without going short of breath.
I go to the gym three times a week now, I see a cardiac physio who monitors everything.
Jan’s one piece of advice
Discover more heart stories
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Join the fight against Australia’s biggest killer by supporting the Heart Foundation. ...
Support and resources for health care professionals
Support and resources for health care professionals
Support and resources for health care professionals
Our range of clinical and patient support resources are available for you to use in your daily practice....
Are you at risk of heart disease?
Are you at risk of heart disease?
Are you at risk of heart disease?
There is no single cause for any one heart condition, but there are risk factors that increase your chance of developing one. ...
Clinical Guidelines
Clinical Guidelines
Clinical Guidelines
Full list of clinical guidlines and references for CVD, heart failure, ACS, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, SCAD and RHD...
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Join the Heart Foundation community. Together, we can make a real difference for Australian hearts. ...
Help make heart disease history!
Help make heart disease history!
Help make heart disease history!
48 Australians die from heart disease every day. You can help save lives....
MyMarathon
MyMarathon
MyMarathon
The fundraising race where you set the pace. Run, jog or walk MyMarathon at your own pace during October....
Dairy and your heart health
Dairy and your heart health
Dairy and your heart health
Not all dairy products are equal. Discover different types of dairy foods and their impact on heart health....
Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) clinical resources
Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) clinical resources
Resources and clinical information for health professionals...
Chicken recipes
Chicken recipes
Chicken recipes
Find heart healthy chicken recipes....
Absolute CVD risk calculator
Absolute CVD risk calculator
The Absolute CVD risk calculator estimates the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years....
Clinical resources: Coronary heart disease and mental health
Clinical resources: Coronary heart disease and mental health
The prevalence of depression is high in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)....
Heart Health Network
Heart Health Network
Heart Health Network
Heart Health Network is the Heart Foundation’s newsletter for health professionals delivered to your inbox once a month....
Diabetes and heart disease
Diabetes and heart disease
Diabetes and heart disease
Diabetes is an ongoing health condition where your body’s usual ways of controlling your blood sugar, or blood glucose levels, don’t work properly. ...
Heart Health Check Toolkit – Register Your Interest
Heart Health Check Toolkit – Register Your Interest
Heart Health Check Toolkit – Register Your Interest
The Heart Foundation will soon be launching a Heart Health Check Toolkit for GPs, practice nurses and practice managers....
A nurse shares her top recovery tips for young cardiac patients
A nurse shares her top recovery tips for young cardiac patients
A nurse shares her top recovery tips for young cardiac patients
Pauline is a nurse and shares advice for young people who have had a heart event or are recovering from surgery....
The Heart Foundation Alumni Program
The Heart Foundation Alumni Program
The Heart Foundation Alumni Program
Stay connected with your research alumni community. ...
Heart attack at 35: Knowing the signs and symptoms
Heart attack at 35: Knowing the signs and symptoms
Heart attack at 35: Knowing the signs and symptoms
David reflects on how his life changed when he had a heart attack at 35 and how he got back on track....
Lipid management clinical information and resources
Lipid management clinical information and resources
Lipid management resources for health professionals...
Beef recipes
Beef recipes
Beef recipes
Find heart healthy beef recipes....
Food and nutrition position statements
Food and nutrition position statements
Food and nutrition position statements
Queensland Cardiovascular Research Network
Queensland Cardiovascular Research Network
Queensland Cardiovascular Research Network
QCVRN provides a framework to strengthen cardiovascular research in Queensland...
What is angina?
What is angina?
What is angina?
Angina is a type of chest pain or discomfort that’s a symptom of an underlying heart problem, usually coronary heart disease (CHD)....
Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance
Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance
Alliance with chronic disease prevention stakeholders...
Smoking and tobacco regulation
Smoking and tobacco regulation
There are still more than 15,000 deaths caused by smoking every year....
Long-term recovery after a heart attack
Long-term recovery after a heart attack
Long-term recovery after a heart attack
Information to help you adjust to what could be the 'new normal'...
CVD and COVID-19 Grant
CVD and COVID-19 Grant
Grants to support ground-breaking research focused on COVID-19 and its interaction with heart conditions....
Meditation helped Grant recover from his heart attack
Meditation helped Grant recover from his heart attack
Meditation helped Grant recover from his heart attack
Thankfully for Grant Byrne, a lifelong Led Zeppelin fan, some quick thinking helped him avoid a stairway to heaven. Read Grant’s heart attack story now. ...
Mental health and heart disease
Mental health and heart disease
Mental health and heart disease
Having a mental health condition can have a negative impact on your heart health and increase your risk of heart disease....
Help others in need through a gift in your Will
Help others in need through a gift in your Will
Help others in need through a gift in your Will
Ian “did not hesitate” to leave 100% of his estate to the Heart Foundation....