Tobias's Journal

All is good! The Heart has settled down nicely to low 60s bpm and showing nice smooth regular curves on my heart rate meter. I have been walking early every morning for 3 to 4 miles and have found this an excellent way to start the day, and means that I clock up about 8 to 10 miles a day. The other plus is that I have rediscovered the beautiful city of Amsterdam and I have it all to myself just after dawn. So for week 3, I can only report it’s only getting better and better. One thing I did learn was to buy a digital blood pressure meter for about 80 USD and charting my results each day. Just helps to chart the progress. So I am off for a walk!

So my first week at home has been great. Walks around the neighbourhood, light lunches at the local restaurant, and plenty of resting and napping all supported by my daughter and lovely wife. Then bang day 13 and I woke up in the middle of the night with atrial fibrillation and my heart rhythm bouncing around. I relax do my breathing excercise and walk a lit. Still no good so I call my medical team and they request an ECG, thankfully my local GP obliged asap and the team upon receiving the results call me in ASAP. The good news is it’s not because of fluid build up as before. Apparently AFib happens to 40% of patients after open heart surgery. So they change my meds by increasing the blood thinners and changing the beta blockers and send me home. Let’s see how it goes. Not too concerned as I expect it’s just my heart trying to adjust to all the new parts.

Well Amazingly the hospital let me go on the Friday evening (day 7) in time for a family dinner and reunion. The body is a miraculous thing. Tuesday evening in the operating theatre for a second time, and then Friday evening home sweet home. Being home with my wife and daughter is wonderful a further boost on the road to recovery. Now about that road ? How much to walk and when? My iPhone step counter showed me doing 1,7 miles on Day 6 / 7 in hospital as I did my laps around the ward and practiced the stairs. The question now is that I am home what distance of daily walks should I target? So far I have ambled around the neighbourhood but I am ready for more. Any advice? Thanks for all the support and encouragement. I feel a new lease of life and enjoying it.

Well that journey of recovery just got a whole lot better. Finally free. Feeling stronger and stronger. Very mobile, no pain, and feeling happy and confident. My wife has been amazing and shouldered so much from the early day research, to planning our approach of surgery, and for being their at every step of the way. She is half my size but twice my strength.

Day 3 started well and so was I doing a little walk and then my heart rate went crazy and one the great guys here called Stefan came and asked me If i was alright. Apparently all the alarms were going off. After that long surgery a lot of fluid had trapped itself around my heart and my heart rhythm was all over the place at +135 BPM. The drugs were not working and I weakened fast. My doc explained its like running a marathon for 2 days. Day 3 evening I was not good at all. Morning Day 4 I was bad. Day 4 lunchtime my surgeon advised to go in again ASAP, full Anaesthesia and drain out that fluid, and reboot my heart with an electric shock. Well as I was lying there pre op round 2 on day 4 I was as weak as I could be and a whole lot less positive than even facing the original 8 hour surgery. Now the good news, that evening I was already improving, that night i listened to some inspirational talks and was just happy to have got over that bump, and today day 5 has been the best yet. I am back on that recovery road. Looking forward to tomorrrow when the last of the drains come out. Feeling blesssed and happy.

So it was a big one but I am recovering fast. Last night wasn’t so much fun, but boy once those tube are out I feel reborn. No chilling sitting up in my chair and happy to be in recovery. Thank you to all the support the last 2 months.

So it was a big one but I am recovering fast. Last night wasn’t so much fun, but boy once those tube are out I feel reborn. No chilling sitting up in my chair and happy to be in recovery. Thank you to all the support the last 2 months.

The good news is that I have a surgery date (June 15), the not so great news is that the surgery is more complex than we could have anticipated. Not only a valve replacement but a bentall procedure to replace all of the ascending aorta and most of the aortic arch. After 2 CT scans the dilation of my aorta was much greater and much higher up than first recorded and this means the operation will be much bigger and all my hopes of minimal invasive etc are out of the window. It’s going to be a big one. The two surgeons performing the operation say it will be an estimated 7 hr surgery. My treatment : Valve replacement with an Edwards Inspiris Resilia valve via a bentall procedure including a Hemi-Arch Repair of aortic arch aneurysm. Nonetheless I am keeping positive and getting myself ready for the big day. It’s good to read the positive recovery case studies on this website and its giving me some positive energy. Thanks amongst others Steven Perrotta! Any last minute advice welcome. All the best, Tobias

Finally had my echo and recieved the bad news that my ascending aorta is dilated to 53mm. Cardiologist thinks I shall need to undergo a Bentall procedure. I was hoping on a tissue valve and if possible the New inspiris resilia valve via minimal invasive surgery. My cardiologists says that will not be possible and now it will most likely be open heart via a Bentall procedure. Started researching and read that new revised guidelines indicate that only if >55mm replacement is neccesary. Also that in Australia a mini bentall procedure has been used with a 7cm incision. Would welcome any advice and guidance.

Hi I have a question about CT scans. I was also recently diagnosed with a melanoma skin cancer on my face and so I am not so keen to undergo CT scans too often due to the radiation. My cardiologist has requested CT scan on mah 7th yet I don’t have a surgery date yet. I fear I will need another CT scan before surgery. Is that correct? My doctors have so far failed to answer that question. Also is MRI an option for an initial check and then a CT scan before surgery? Thanks in advance for any advice.