On June 21 I was the target of a cardiothoracic surgery. This surgery was to "fix" an aneurysm in the ascending aorta and to implant a mechanical aortic valve.
It all started 12 years ago, around the year 2000, when in a occupational medicine consultation, the physician detected a "murmur" in my heart . It was then that I began to be followed by a cardiologist, with periodic examinations on my heart. Basically I had a defect in the aortic valve and my cardiologist always told me that by the age of 50 I would have to replace the valve.
Throughout all these years, I have done several exams, and it was detected that the diameter of the ascending aorta was increasing. At the end of 2011 I was informed that that there was a risk of the artery to be ruptured, with potentially fatal consequences. Since the surgery would require to open the chest, then it makes sense take advantage and implant the valve, instead of waiting more years to open the chest again.
This period of sick leave, although quite painful, served to do some reflections and put some of the reading in day. This week I am returning to work and also in the hope to keep the blog more active.