Megan Tinsley: Derby County defender on the heart condition which has interrupted her career

Megan Tinsley hopes she will be able to continue her playing career after being told to stop by doctors

"When I could hear my heartbeat through my ears, it really scared me," revealed Derby County defender Megan Tinsley.

Tinsley admits she initially ignored chest pains when playing, but the memory of seeing Christian Eriksen collapse at Euro 2020, after suffering a cardiac arrest, eventually prompted her to see a doctor.

The 25-year-old has since had her career put on hold on medical advice and had an implantable loop recorder (ILR) placed in her chest to monitor her heart rhythm and rate.

It came 20 years after she had surgery to fix a hole in her heart.

"I went to the doctor about it because you are hearing about all the footballers who have collapsed on the pitch," Tinsley told BBC Radio Derby after talk of Denmark international Eriksen's high-profile return to football, at first with Brentford and now Manchester United.

"With different sports people having trouble with their heart, and because I had that surgery, I was thinking 'am I a bit of a higher risk? Could the worst happen?'.

"It got to a point where my heart was beating really, really fast, I was getting a few chest pains. The fact I could feel my heartbeat through my ears wasn't the best thing. That's when you put health before anything else."

'I couldn't bring myself to watch'

At the age of three, Tinsley was diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD) - a condition in which there is a hole between the two collecting chambers of the heart - and had surgery two years later to address the issue.

It is the same issue which Manchester United midfielder and England international Jade Moore was found to have as a teenager.

Tinsley says until last year she never struggled with the condition, despite living with an irregular heartbeat after having that surgery two decades ago.

"It was quite weird because I had this little ECG (electrocardiogram) and they told me I had this little irregular heartbeat and I was like 'yeah, that comes with this condition I've got'," she said.

"I then got letters through and it turned out to be something more serious than I first thought.

"The advice was carry on as normal to see if the symptoms worsened. They didn't get any worse, it was just exactly the same, and it carried on from there until I was advised to not do anything cardio vascular until I hopefully get the all-clear."

Tinsley, who has made 65 appearances for Women's National League Northern Premier Division side Derby, is hopeful her career can resume in time.

"It's not something that will make me retire, it's just something I'll have to be mindful of," she said.

For now, Tinsley knows she will have to put up with the frustration of sitting on the sidelines.

"It was really hard at first," she admitted.

"I sort of stayed away from going to training because I couldn't bring myself to watch everyone doing the thing I wanted to.

"Those thoughts go through your head, thinking 'I'm not actually being missed here, they don't need me anymore'. That is hard-hitting.

"But the support that team-mates have given me, just messages saying they are there for me if I need a chat, triggers something in your mind to think 'I'm in a good place here'. I've got a team surrounding me."

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