‘From around the age of forty-five, I first experienced high blood pressure. Despite the medication for this, the blood pressure gradually increased. I had a blood pressure monitor at home and noticed that my blood pressure was actually permanently too high. It wasn't until many years later, around the age of sixty-five, that I started experiencing serious symptoms like a pounding and throbbing sensation in my ear, similar to tinnitus. Through the general practitioner, I then had a Holter examination in which my heart rate and blood pressure were recorded for 24 hours. This made it clear that my blood pressure was very high even at night, and I ended up in the cardiovascular program of the general practitioner.
From that moment, I began to delve into cardiovascular diseases and came across the book by cardiologist Janneke Wittekoek. She specializes in heart and vascular problems in women, as apparently, the heart works differently in women than in men, and women often experience different, more subtle symptoms.
Completely Blocked Carotid Artery
After reading Ms. Wittekoek's book, I decided to visit her clinic for further examination. The results of this examination were quite shocking. It turned out that my carotid arteries were completely blocked on one side, and the other side was about 60 percent narrowed. That was an enormous shock, especially because my symptoms weren't so severe. I did have eye problems and a pounding sensation near my ear, but I could function quite well with that. Apparently, a narrowing or even a complete blockage in the carotid artery doesn't necessarily cause specific symptoms, as there are multiple arteries responsible for supplying blood to the brain. In hindsight, there was an important signal. One day in the store, I suddenly experienced short-term vision loss, which turned out to be an ocular TIA. However, I didn't recognize it at the time and dismissed it.
Not long after the results, I underwent surgery where my carotid artery was opened. During this operation, the narrowings were removed and the vessel walls were cleaned. This operation was quite risky. For example, doctors usually do not perform the operation with a narrowing of less than 70 percent, because then the risks of the operation are greater than the benefits. Fortunately, my surgery went well, and after four days in the hospital, I was allowed to go home.
No good feeling
After the surgery, I noticed that my symptoms disappeared immediately and I felt energetic. However, I did not feel good about my health. My reasoning was: it would be strange if the arteries in my neck were the only ones affected in this way. What about the other arteries in my body, such as in my legs and my heart? That was my reason for going to Prescan for a bodyscan and a CT scan of my heart. This examination showed that my blood flow was good, but the calcium score was high, indicating that I have a high risk of cardiovascular disease. With this result, I went back to my own cardiologist, Mrs. Wittekoek. She then diagnosed stable angina, which is usually caused by narrow coronary arteries, so she suggested a heart catheterization. During this operation, it indeed turned out that I had narrowings in my coronary arteries, and a week later, I underwent angioplasty and stents were placed. In retrospect, I am very glad that I had an additional examination through Prescan, otherwise, the narrowings around my heart would have been discovered much later. And sometimes it is already too late. In addition, the examination by Prescan also brought to light some other points of attention. For instance, it turned out that I only have two major blood vessels in my leg, instead of three. And they also saw a spot and a cyst somewhere. These were not points on which I needed to take action, but points that I can keep an eye on.
Is everything okay 'inside'?
Prevention is very important to me. Since I found out that I am at high risk for cardiovascular diseases, I walk every day and eat as healthily as possible. For example, I don't eat fatty meats, use little salt, and consume a lot of vegetables. But I don't know if changing my behavior has enough effect. Are my carotid and coronary arteries still clean? I have no idea because I experienced no symptoms with my heart blockages. That's why I regularly undergo preventive examinations at Prescan. During the last examination at Prescan, the specialist told me, 'your medication is well-adjusted, and everything else looks fine.' That was so reassuring to hear.'
