When a Doctor Becomes a Patient: Mr. Budi’s Heart Bypass Surgery

Mr. Budi, who lives in Jakarta, is a doctor. He was used to being on the medical side of care, until one day he himself needed heart bypass surgery later in life. He shared his story about two and a half years after the operation, accompanied by his child.

The First Symptoms

Mr. Budi had none of the typical heart symptoms. No chest pain, no shortness of breath. At one point he felt unwell, as if he had the flu, so he went to see a classmate who is a specialist doctor. He had an electrocardiogram (ECG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity, and was then admitted to his previous hospital. There he learned that he had many blockages in the blood vessels of his heart and was advised to have bypass surgery.

The news came as a shock. As a doctor, he knew that bypass surgery is no small matter, especially later in life. Yet his attitude came to be summed up in the line that became the title of his video: times have changed, medicine has advanced, and he was not afraid of bypass surgery.

Finding Answers at Heartology

His child then searched online and found a doctor at Heartology. From the start, Mr. Budi felt the care was supportive, like family. He was impressed by the doctors who treated him. “I really admire these doctors. They are very smart, yet very humble, very kind and very patient,” he said.

The operation he had was coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In this surgery, the surgeon creates a detour for blood to reach the heart muscle by going around the blocked part of the coronary arteries. His operation was performed by the Heartology thoracic and cardiovascular surgery team, supported by other doctors, including an internal medicine specialist.

A Gradual Recovery

Mr. Budi's recovery was gradual. After surgery he felt very weak for a while and stayed in hospital for quite some time. He used a wheelchair for less than a month, then moved on to a walking stick while doing physiotherapy. The medical team supported him at every stage, and his family's support, including his child who helped find his doctor, kept him going. Since then he has had regular check-ups every three months, including blood tests and X-rays.

When the video was recorded, Mr. Budi's condition was stable. His advice is to follow your doctor's guidance, undergo the treatment that is recommended, and not lose heart. “Medicine is very advanced now, far beyond what it was in our day,” he said. He also feels that being treated in his own country makes follow-up care easier, since the hard part is not only the operation itself but also the monitoring that comes after it.