My open heart surgery
you never can tell. often what you think is good is bad and vice versa.
at age 73 i was never sick a day in my life. i was in perfect health as far as i knew.
my wifes optician said it was time for her cataracts. she referred her to my cataract surgeon. i had mine done a few years earlier.
when he checked her blood pressure he found it was sky high. unable to continues he referred her to our very first GP who ordered up a full battery of tests. she needed some starting point. since i was there with her she asked what she could do for me. i allowed as i was having chest pains since just after the start of the covid lockdown. she ordered up a full battery of tests for me. when the initial test results came back it was great. all "unremarkable" on the report.. i am in perfect health.
all except ONE item. my CALCIUM COUNT!
calcium count is a constant that increases with age naturally . it can vary but generally speaking is averaged by gender. for instance a 73 year old female averages 130. a 73 year old male averages 180. both acceptable numbers. i know 75 yr old people with calcium count of 7. nobody knows how it is possible.
anything above 300 is considered severe, calling for immediate treatment.
my calcium count is 2963
thats the 96% percentile.
a quick search reveals the condition is hereditary.
just my fucking luck. a lifelong commitment to good living wasted on blind luck.
but i digress..... fearing a heart attack she put me in hospital.
april 26
my cardiologist thought my heart must surely be weak and said i would have a slim chance, 10%, of surviving so large a surgery. he said we'd do it in 2 stages that way i would have a 50/50 chance of survival.
when they did exploratory surgery they found i had the heart of a 40 year old . so they put me on ice for 3 days until they were able to get to me.
the surgery went slick as snot. zero problems.
they kept me in ICU for 3 days. makeing a total of 6 days in suspended animation.
the first diagnosis said my heart would not survive this large a surgery saying it would be fatal.
when exploratory surgery showed a strong heart, the prognosis changed.
i was prepped , for 2 days, for Four BYPASS surgery.
i was under the knife 6 hours.
by the worlds BEST! the best money can buy. in worlds best facility built by and for waltons.
everything went as slick as snot.
i was in suspended animation for 3 days.
never felt any pain. but i did hallucinate for a day.
went to hospital for 5 days. they removed staples/stitches for 3 days.
i lost count of the blood tests and injections. i cant find an accounting but surely in excess of 100. my body is one large bruise at present.
the very last blood test had to be done by a specialist because no one could find a place to draw blood.
then rehab for 15 minutes. they wanted me to stay rehab 20 days! said eff dis shit i am outta here and headed for home.
day 17
been walking about in house without any assistance from even a cane since i got home.
getting stronger every day. have multiple doc appts this week.
felt like i was serviced by crack nascar pit crew. from the surgeons down to the cafeteria crew.
ONE BIG JAM UP CREW!!!!!! was not concerned even for a moment. everyone loves their job.
was worth every cent
no more chest pain.
ps: the nurses nicknamed us THE LOVE BIRDS!! because we slept together every night except the 3 nights i was in ICU.