Lying nervously in the dentist’s chair, Jordan Cracknell was desperate for her pain to stop. “I was in agony with an impacted wisdom tooth and so relieved when my dentist gave me novacaine,” recalls the 39-year-old financier from New York, who’s married to double Olympic gold medal rower James Cracknell.
“But as it began to work I could suddenly feel my heart starting to pound, which really scared me. The dentist reassured me that this was quite common with novocaine, but that it would ease off.”
It didn’t. Over the following 24 hours Jordan’s heart continued to race and as it did, the then 30 year old’s fears intensified. “I’d been diagnosed with a heart murmur when I was about three but that’s not uncommon in young children, so not necessarily a concern, though my mother had always worried,” she says.
It didn’t. Over the following 24 hours Jordan’s heart continued to race and as it did, the then 30 year old’s fears intensified. “I’d been diagnosed with a heart murmur when I was about three but that’s not uncommon in young children, so not necessarily a concern, though my mother had always worried,” she says.
“But at 19 I’d been devastated when my dad died very suddenly from a heart attack and my grandfather had also had five heart attacks. So the way my heart was pounding really panicked me.”
This family history meant Jordan didn’t waste any time before getting herself checked out. “The pounding hadn’t cleared up the next day, so I headed to see my doctor, who gave me an ECG (electrocardiogram) and a tape to monitor my heart for 24 hours.”
The recordings revealed a serious issue. “I was diagnosed with mitral regurgitation. I’d never heard of it, but soon realised I was lucky to be alive.”
Mitral regurgitation is the most common type of heart valve disease, usually suffered by older people. It occurs when the mitral valve – a small flap in the heart that stops blood flowing the wrong way – starts leaking. It can leave you feeling very tired, dizzy or breathless and can also cause chest pain.
When the condition is mild and has no symptoms it rarely requires intervention, but as mitral valve regurgitation gets more serious the heart is forced to work harder to pump blood around the body. If left untreated, the strain this causes can lead to atrial fibrillation (an irregular and fast heartbeat), pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs) and even heart failure, where the heart cannot pump enough blood around the body.
Treatments include medicines to reduce breathlessness and to prevent atrial fibrillation, open heart surgery to repair or replace the leaky valve, or keyhole surgery to attach a small clip to the faulty valve to help it close.
“I was very shocked to receive the diagnosis,” says Jordan, who had always felt more tired than other people, but had never thought it might be due to such a serious condition. Even now, James says, ‘You’re the most tired person I know’ and he’s absolutely right.”
Her ongoing fatigue influenced her choices of sport as a teenager, and only now does she realise how lucky that was. “When I looked back at my teenage years and the sport I chose, I didn’t do cardio as it made me feel exhausted and chose more strength training and tennis, neither of which left me feeling wiped out.
“Now I realise that different choices might have precipitated a heart attack. I do worry about my heart, and know that heart attacks are more subtle in women, but I get a yearly check-up where the leakage is monitored and if it starts becoming more serious I know I may need an operation.”
These days, she says, she tries “to just live life as normal, though because of my heart I’m very mindful of my diet and exercise. I don’t drink alcohol at all, I eat healthily with lots of veggies and avoid processed food, though I’ll sometimes have cake,” she says. “I never stop moving and James and I walk together regularly, usually between eight and 11 miles at a time. I’ve even gone rowing with him.
“There’s no reason to allow my heart condition to get in the way of being successful at work and enjoying life – it’s just important to be heart aware and know what to look out for.”