I know news travels fast, so I thought I should get in touch and let you know I’m OK, and I’m going to be OK. Even with modern technology it's difficult to get to everyone, and I'm sure there is someone I haven't been able to get to. So if you’ve already heard something on how I am, here’s the full story, and if you haven’t…here’s the full story.
For Christmas I gave Genevieve a trip to Paris. I decided I could enroll in the Paris marathon in April, and combine it with some work and leisure while Gen spent time with her family. The French marathon authorities, being French and very thorough, required me to get a physician’s sign-off that I was fit to compete. Now…I’m OK but…
The physician takes my weight and blood pressure, and wants to listen to my heart before signing the form, (“Come on Doc, I’ve done seven of these marathons and last September’s was my best ever”). “So,” he says, “you have a pretty strong heart murmur. How long have you had that?”
To which I reply, “What murmur?”
Thunk.
Turns out the mitral valve in my heart has "broken" since I last ran in September, and I’m currently only pumping about 60% of the blood I should be. I’ve had lots of tests and pictures of my heart in the last week or so. Apparently I’m as fit as a horse and I have a really strong heart, which is why I hadn’t noticed any symptoms except a sort of growing lethargy and a little shortness of breath.
After a few more tests and things I'm scheduled to go in for coronary angiography on Thursday 29th January, and heart surgery on Friday the 30th. The angiogram is because "we're going to go in anyway, so we may as well look around to see if there's anything else we should be doing". They don't expect to find anything. I was offered keyhole surgery, but the results are more problematic with my issue, so we opted for the more traditional approach. Basically, the doctors open up my chest, open the heart, put in a couple of stitches to tighten the valve and off you go. The doctors say I will be out of hospital in 4-5 days, and back running in 4-6 weeks. These are the sorts of things that just get worse and used to kill people of our grandparents’ generation. So, wow…sometimes we don’t know how lucky we are.
The France trip was actually a present for April, which is when I would have done the marathon there. We still plan on France, but now it will be more sedate with plenty of red wine and cafés. I’ve also got a trip I’m leading to China in May so I’d better be good for that as well!
I’ll be back on deck in a week or so. If I didn't manage to get to you personally with my news I'm sorry, and I hope you'll recognize it's because we have a few things on our mind. I'd love to connect with you after I'm better, so please get in touch...Genevieve will update this and let everyone know how I am.
Late news! I'm better now and at home. For the rest of the story click here.
