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Update Monday 14th.
All done ane dusted. After a terrible nights sleep on Saturday I left the hotel at about 5.40 am and lined up with my fello competitors in time for 6.40. The Thames wasn't that cold (reported at 18.5 c). 1500 meters remains a long way to swim. Getting the wet suit off was still a trial and then onto the bike. Mostly uneventful except a I dropped a water bottle at about 2/3s distance. The run was hilly and my feet only thawed out after the first lap.
I finished in 2.41.56 which is about 2 minutes quicker than 1999. I was 157th out of the 340 40-44 finishers.
The training is done and I'm as ready as I can be. I have been in the sea a couple of times in my new wet suit, run hill reps, raced my bike, completed long runs, done brick sessions and even competed in a sprint Triathlon - all in the name of preparation. Now all I need to do is turn up in Windsor in time for the 6.40 am start on Sunday.
On Thursday 3rd of December 2009, I received the dreaded message. “Your daughter has been admitted to the with a congenital heart defect”. I was at work while she and Jo (her mum) were put into an ambulance and driven from to the Royal Brompton in Kensington.
Yasmine was born at the end of September 2009 and was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis and a Coarctation of the Aorta when she was just 9 weeks old. On that Thursday we were told after further tests that she would “probably” be discharged tomorrow after one more examination in the morning. It was thought she could wait until she was older for surgery. Friday came and after an hour long echocardiogram, the Clinician Scientist went to fetch the Consultant. We were told Yasmine was not going home and she would have a major operation on her Aorta that afternoon. The operation was to remove the Coarctation (thinning) of the Aorta, by either rerouting her blood supply or simply removing the offending bit of the artery. The operation would take 4 or so hours. While we went to calm down, eat and make phone calls, Yasmine was prepared for the operation.
To say it was a shock is an understatement. We were taken to see another child who had just returned from theatre to help us prepare for what Yasmine was about to go through. Meanwhile various discussions about her condition were taking place around us. She had initially been sent to the out patients department at Harefield after she had been taken to the GP with a cough and the GP had heard a heart murmur whilst listening to her chest. The cough was still there which was suspected to be bronchiolitus. Tthe anaesthetist was reluctant to proceed as the operation would have involved the deflation of the left lung and due to the bronchiolitus she had slightly impaired usage of the right lung.
It was decided to wait 48 hours to see if the cough improved. It didn’t, so plan B loomed into view. Plan B was a key hole procedure to insert a balloon catheter to stretch both the Aorta and the Aortic valve whilst Yasmine was under general anaesthetic. This still carries risks as it was possible the procedure could make the Aortic valve leak, which would mean open heart surgery would be required to replace it. This in itself would only be a temporary measure, as Yasmine was so young and still growing. Essentially she would out grow the replacement.
While waiting for the operation Yasmine had an emergency baptism in the hospital chapel.
On Wednesday 9 December at about 3pm, we left Yasmine in Pre Op, unconscious in the hands of a very able team who were going to perform the delicate procedure on my 10 week old daughter. It was the longest 90 minutes of our lives as we waited.
The result of the operation was a success. Pressures within Yasmine’s heart were near normal with no valve leakage, although the possibility of Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome (WPWS) was diagnosed during the operation. Since then Yasmine has done as expected. Her weight has increased and there have been no signs of any further issues. She was examined every 6 weeks as the Aorta and WPWS were still of concern. However, the latest consultation has extended the times between examinations to three months.
All the time Yasmine was in hospital (8 days in total) Jo was with her. She slept on the ward and ate hospital food. We had a room to use with showers and kitchen facilities, which also allowed me to stay there some nights to give support to Jo. Nothing was too much trouble and the care Yasmine received and continues to receive is excellent. While it was hard to come to terms with at the time it was a great comfort to know she was in the best place being treated by the best people.
As such please sponsor me to compete in the Windsor Triathlon on . (Olympic distance: 1500m swim in the Thames, 40km bike and 10km run). I last did this event in 1999 and the swim in the Thames still fills ne with dread.
From personal experience I can vouch that the money will be spent wisely by the Royal Brompton & Harefield Charitable Fund.
Details of the Triathlon http://humanrace.co.uk/more-info-on-nokia-windsor-triathlon-401.html
Details of the fund http://www.rbht.nhs.uk/about/fundraising/
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