Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder. It affects around 1-2% of the overall population. It is more common in men and is increasingly common as people age [1]. While it is associated with other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity and other types of heart disease [2], people who are otherwise fit and healthy may still develop AF.
Antony Eames
Tony Eames wrote his story to be included in the myheart booklet which was launched in November, 2013. I had my first episode of fainting at 4 years old. From then on I passed out regularly. Sometimes I passed out several times a day. During this time I was not allowed to do any school […]
Francesca Maretic
Living with Wolff Parkinson White syndrome My name is Fran and I’m an average girl except for the fact that at the moment I have Wolff Parkinson White syndrome (WPW). WPW means I have an extra pathway in my heart and sometimes my heart will beat really fast because of this. The first time I […]
Jenny Justice
Living with Wolff Parkinson White syndrome I had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) when I was a child. I remember waking up because my heart would start beating very rapidly and for about 2 or 3 years my parents thought I was exaggerating when I told them my heart was beating fast. As I grew into a […]
Paul Cooper
Living with atrial fibrillation My story began 19 years ago – I am 39 now. I was out with some mates one night, when I felt a funny ‘butterfly’ feeling in my chest – it felt like my heart was racing. That night I went to the hospital with my mate and they did an ECG. My heart […]
Lucy Patey
Living With long QT syndrome I have always been a fit and active person, participating in many sporting activities – two of which were hockey and horse riding, family passions that I inherited. During my teenage years I competed at top level both on horseback and on the hockey field. Looking back, I was given […]
Lyndsay Morton
Living with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome When I was 19 I was woken by a paramedic at 3am one morning. The paramedic had been called by my partner because I had stopped breathing and started fitting in my sleep. Subsequently I was told that I was “stressed and its nothing to worry about”! I kept getting severe […]
Claire Herridge
Living with left ventricular wall abnormality A year and a half ago, when I was 34, I was out running when I experienced heart palpitations, chest pain and shortness of breath. I was taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital. This was a shock to me as I am a PE teacher and have always […]
Jonny Goode
Living with long QT syndrome I love Sport! Any kind of sport and ever since I remember I have spent most of my spare time either hitting a ball, pedalling a bike or running around somewhere. It came as a great shock to me when I was diagnosed with long QT syndrome at the age […]
Fraser Thomas
Living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy I am one of the few lucky parents as my son, Fraser, survived a full cardiac arrest while playing football last year. He had no previous symptoms or illness and was saved thanks to two medical students who happened to be playing football that day and also a mobile defibrillator that […]