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'I'm Back!' Arnold Schwarzenegger Tweets For First Time Since Surgery

'I'm Back!' Arnold Schwarzenegger Tweets For First Time Since Surgery

He expressed his gratitude to the doctors and nurses that helped him

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Following a stint in hospital for heart surgery, Arnold Schwarzenegger has now taken to Twitter to express his gratitude to the doctors and nurses that helped him, as well as the messages from fans.

He wrote:

A representative for Arnie, Daniel Ketchell, posted a statement on Twitter to announce that a replacement pulmonic valve had been successfully fitted.

The statement said: "Yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger underwent a planned procedure at Cedars-Sinai to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced due to a congenital heart defect in 1997.

"That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it yesterday through a less-invasive catheter valve replacement.

"During that procedure, an open-heart surgery team was prepared, as they frequently are in these circumstances, in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed.

"Governor Schwarzenegger's pulmonic valve was successfully replaced and he is currently recovering from the surgery and in a stable condition. We want to thank the entire medical team for their tireless efforts."

In a second post Ketchell said the actor was doing well and was in good spirits; posting to say his first words when coming 'round were 'I'm back'.

It was reported by TMZ that the actor was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital for catheter valve replacement, which is a minimally invasive procedure.

In 1997, the same year Batman & Robin was released where he played Mr Freeze, he had to have a procedure that replaced an aortic valve, which was made from his own transplanted tissue.

Doctors suggested he could have had a mechanical valve put in, which at the time was the only permanent solution to fixing the issue, but he decided against it because he didn't want to let the device limit him physically.

Following the surgery, he released a statement saying: "I've never felt sick or had any symptoms at all, but I knew I'd have to take care of this condition sooner or later."

via GIPHY

Schwarzenegger was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, which means his valve only has two leaflets compared to the normal three.

UCLA cardiologist Dr. Jaime Moriguchi said at the time: "Instead of three leaflets, it has only two, and over time, the leaflets get calcified or thickened and they're not as pliant as before."

He recently told Australian TV show The Project that despite being 70-years-old, he doesn't feel that number represents his health, saying: "I don't even think that I'm 70, I know I'm 70, but so what?

"It's only on my passport or my driver's licence, but I feel the same way as I did 20 years ago. I feel good about myself. I work out. I make my movies. Life is great. I feel useful and productive."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Celebrity News, US News, Arnold Schwarzenegger