My kayak trip ended earlier than planned as mentioned in my last blog. The reason was not a bad common cold but something much worse! After being picked up by my son in law I visited a local clinic in southern Sweden the following day. After a very basic check at the clinic I was told to rest for a few days before I could continue my kayak trip. But I felt that something was seriously wrong and after a few days of terrible suffering I decided to return home.
On June 4th my wife Akane kindly picked me up by car for the 500 km return journey to our home base. On the following day I visited my local clinic only to be sent directly to the emergency room at one of the the major hospitals in Stockholm. I was immediately hospitalised. My problem was a collapsed mistral heart valve, resulting in the incomplete closing of the leaflets of the valve and causing leaking back of the blood.
After surgery on June 15th and a total of three weeks in different hospitals I was sent home to recover. Luckily for me it was possible to use the old valve. My talented surgeon was able to attach the valve to a support ring and tie it up with Gore-Tex tread. This repair method, combined with healthy home cooked meals, have really helped me to make a speedy recovery.
I am now in the final stage of planning my next salty adventure!
Fresh from the operation table
"Lessons learned, don't retire too early - or bad things might happen!
On June 4th my wife Akane kindly picked me up by car for the 500 km return journey to our home base. On the following day I visited my local clinic only to be sent directly to the emergency room at one of the the major hospitals in Stockholm. I was immediately hospitalised. My problem was a collapsed mistral heart valve, resulting in the incomplete closing of the leaflets of the valve and causing leaking back of the blood.
After surgery on June 15th and a total of three weeks in different hospitals I was sent home to recover. Luckily for me it was possible to use the old valve. My talented surgeon was able to attach the valve to a support ring and tie it up with Gore-Tex tread. This repair method, combined with healthy home cooked meals, have really helped me to make a speedy recovery.
I am now in the final stage of planning my next salty adventure!
Fresh from the operation table
"Lessons learned, don't retire too early - or bad things might happen!
