Interview Section : Healthtalkonline

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Recruitment and information :
What is heart valve disease and why screening may help
Being invited for screening
Information and questions about taking part

Deciding whether to take part :
Reasons for taking part
Attitudes to other types of medical research

What is involved in taking part :
Booking the appointment and getting there
The screening appointment – having the heart scan

After screening :
Getting results
Attending follow up appointments
Feelings about screening and general health

Messages :
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Screening for unrecognised heart valve disease

People's stories

Diagnosed with heart valve disease

Lech – Interview 03

Lech – Interview 03

Age at Interview: 78
Sex: Male
Background: Lech is a retired NHS salary and wages officer, originally from Poland. He has lived in Africa too, but has been in the UK over 30 years. He is separated and lives on his own. Ethnic Background/nationality: White Polish.

Brief outline:Lech took part in screening for unrecognised heart valve disease. He previously had a heart attack and some angina. The screening showed he had a leaky valve and he was offered a follow up appointment. We spoke to Lech after each of the two appointments he attended.

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Lech had already had a heart attack, so at first he thought the invitation was because of that. Then he discovered his sister had had the same letter from the GP.
Print So when you got the letter from your GP— Yes. -- asking you to take part in this screening programme, what were your thoughts when you got the letter? The first moment, first moment I say, “I know I have a little bit problem with my heart.” But second, after, I even talked to my sister, because she have also the same letter from the GP. They say anyhow they will check properly and actually, as a matter of fact, they did, because they find that I have now leakage valve, you know, what I never knew this before. That was the first time I knew that. She told me, “It’s nothing serious. A lot of older people have this leakage of heart.” Anyhow, I wasn’t worried and I know some, everybody has to die one day [laughs]. Sometime from this, sometime from something else, you know? That is life.

Lech saw the heart valve screening as an opportunity to get a ‘proper check-up’ without having to bother his GP. (He has a history of angina and heart attack).
Print So from your point of view when you were invited it was an opportunity? Oh, yes. That was an opportunity. That’s true. After I say, “Of course I will go. Why not? I have a proper check-up”, you know? Because to go to the GP, you know, they have to send it, and if it’s nothing serious, then - I worked for, as I told you, 25 years for the health service. I know, you know, they are busy people and I don’t want to bother them with something tiny. If it’s some small problem, why? That was my opportunity for a proper check-up. And what with the letter was there some information about the project and what were your thoughts about the information you were given? I think that it is very nice because a lot of people you are helping – people, you know, who are like me, like my sister. We never want to bother the doctors or stuff like this, just to go, “Oh, pain here, pain there.” Did you have a chance to ask questions about the research before you took part in it? No, no. They asked me if I volunteer and I say, “Of course I do it.” They asked me a few things, “Can you do this, this?” Whatever they asked I say, “Yes, of course you can do.” Even like you ask me now, I say, “I don’t mind.”

Given that he has other heart problems, Lech wasn’t very surprised to hear he had a leaking valve. He is glad he is now aware of it.
Print I didn’t know, honestly. I didn’t know I have a problem. I know something is wrong, because I have twice this pain when I was walking fast, and my cousin straight away say, “This is the heart. You’d better go and see a doctor.” Then but still I didn’t know I have a leakage, you see. I thought maybe, like before, I have angina, you see? But I am still on these tablets, you see, now. How you call it? Statins? Are you? Statins, yeah. Ah, right. Is that, how long have you been on statins? A long time? Oh, on statins, I am now about two, three - two years, I think. Okay. Not long, really, not very long. Have you been taking anything else since the valve problem was discovered. No. Or not? No, okay. No. Still I am taking one, one every evening before I go to bed. Were you surprised that they found something? Yes and no, because the doctor was a very nice one, really, and she was telling me what she’s doing and this, and she told me then. You know, I was expecting there is something wrong, but I didn’t know what, to be honest. And how did you feel when they told you there was this thing wrong? To be honest, I wasn’t worried much. That is one thing. And second, if there is, today’s medicine is so advanced that even if I would need something then they will give me tablets or even operation, you know, if I will need. Anyhow, still I am not a youngster and a lot of my friends - men, women - gone already. So is there a sort of feeling of reassurance, almost, having found something, that now you’re being followed up? Then I will know. Then if something is, I will have pain, this and that, then I will not say, “Ah, tomorrow I will go.” I’ll go today, straight away [laughs]. Okay, so yes, it’s made you more aware. Oh, yes. Definitely.

Lech couldn’t understand all the figures and abbreviations in the results letter. He could have asked his GP to explain, but he does not want to bother him unnecessarily.
Print Is there anything you’d like to suggest to them about how that letter could be improved? Improve only this, that we can understand, you know, what is written there because if that is written LVOT diam 2.1 CM, I don’t know what that means, and all this. But anyhow, as I say, if somebody wants to know we’ll try to find. I didn’t go even to my GP to ask this. I just asked my niece’s son and he told me everything he knows about it. So the only thing really would be the information that comes. Yeah, the - I am waiting, you know. I am not really in a hurry actually. She say she will try to make appointment for me. I know that hospitals these days are very, very busy. And the written information that you get. That could be improved a bit. This can be, actually, because at least a few lines to say - not this letter sent, numbers and this, because this is black magic for me and, but still everybody who knows, wants to know, will go to, I could go to GP and say, “Can you tell me what is this?” Why to bother him if somebody else can tell me? He is busy enough.

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