After heart surgery, Arnold Schwarzenegger claims he feels “fantastic”

On Friday, the 73-year-old actor and former California governor announced on social media that he had a replacement aortic valve installed in his heart. He shared a photo of himself giving a thumbs up from his hospital bed.

On Twitter, he stated, “Thanks to the team at the Cleveland Clinic, I have a new aortic valve to go along with my new pulmonary valve from my last surgery. I feel fantastic and have already been walking the streets of Cleveland enjoying your amazing statues. Thank you to every doc and nurse on my team!”

According to webmd, if the aortic valve isn’t operating properly, it can obstruct blood flow and require the heart to work harder to send blood to the rest of the body.

Because it helps blood flow out of the heart and through the rest of the body, having a defective aortic valve isn’t something you want. It can also cause aortic stenosis, which becomes more frequent as individuals become older. Others, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, have had cardiac issues their whole lives due to a congenital heart abnormality.

Thanks to the team at the Cleveland Clinic, I have a new aortic valve to go along with my new pulmonary valve from my last surgery. I feel fantastic and have already been walking the streets of Cleveland enjoying your amazing statues. Thank you to every doc and nurse on my team! pic.twitter.com/hmIbsEMHtA

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) October 23, 2020

In 2018, Schwarzenegger’s publicist Daniel Ketchell revealed that the actor was born with a congenital heart defect. His mother and maternal grandmother also had valve problems, thus he has a family history of cardiac problems.

After a prior pulmonary valve replacement in 1997, Schwarzenegger underwent major heart surgery two years ago to repair a pulmonary valve.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” the sixth installment of the actor’s long-running “Terminator” franchise, was his most recent production. He  reunited with Linda Hamilton in the picture.

Schwarzenegger isn’t the only politician to suffer from heart problems, and it doesn’t discriminate based on political affiliation. In 2018, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with a common form of heart disease, according to his medical records, while former presidential contender Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack in 2019.

Update: @Schwarzenegger is awake and his first words were actually “I’m back”, so he is in good spirits. https://t.co/bJ4pxqS8l6

— Daniel Ketchell (@ketch) March 30, 2018