Open-Heart Surgery
As the Baby Boomer approaches his 72nd birthday, 2024 has proven to be quite the year!
But first, please allow me to digress. Throughout my career where I was thought of as a leader with leadership skills, building positive relationships was extremely important in being able to attain set goals. Whenever I was asked how I was, my immediate response was “GREAT!” no matter the circumstances I may be facing. Being a very private person who is not only a loner, but truly an introvert, I worked very hard in fulfilling the role of a person who enjoyed being around people and was considered by most to be an extrovert. I, daily, attempted to provide nothing but an “Academy Award” performance in playing this necessary and expected role no matter what.
Part of any conversation was, in turn, to ask how the person I was interacting with if they were feeling well today and over time quickly learned how that could become a mistake. Some folks just go on and on explaining their woes which becomes a bit trifling. In the last few years, I’ve changed my answer to this question by saying instead of “GREAT!” to “BETTER THAN I DESERVE!” which is very true and usually earns a chuckle or two.
The Baby Boomer has always been a big guy, maybe over time a bit too big–overweight. Walking thirty-two years on extremely hard terrazzo floors while in the supermarket industry along with injuries sustained in athletics led to both of my knees being replaced in 2016. Hey, that was the good news whereas the bad news was a month after my second knee replacement surgery, I took a nasty fall on our deck in a sudden rainstorm tearing my patellar tendon (the Achilles of the kneecap) requiring another surgery and being in a full plaster of paris cast from hip to toes for eight dreadful weeks. Thank goodness for La Bear who was there as my trusted aid every moment of each day!! Being in my 60’s when this occurred, one never fully recovers and I’m no exception as this particular injury cost me my golf game.
In 2014, La Bear needed a hysterectomy and during the procedure the doctor clipped a part of her intestine resulting in an emergency surgery and a colostomy which fortunately was successfully reversed three months later. Not that this wasn’t enough, La Bear was also suffering from some back discomfort coming to find she was suffering from spinal column stenosis which was placing a lot of pressure on her spinal cord. If left untreated, she would have quickly become paralyzed from the neck down, but her fourth surgery fortunately corrected this very scary situation.
Around this time as well, my mother was in the throes of dementia which ultimately led to us moving her to Richmond from Arlington in 2016 into assisted living. Dying isn’t easy, but seeing someone deteriorate due to Alzheimer’s takes its toll and is devastating. She passed away in 2019 forgetting how to breathe.
The Baby Boomer used to also smoke fine cigars which proved, along with an evening cocktail or two, to be very relaxing. But in 2012, I went “cold turkey” and quit smoking before I was told to by the docs. I thrived on work-related stress, but not so much on personal stress always having been the consummate worrier, not ever being able to not worry about things that were completely out of my control. Being somewhat in charge, a type “A” personality, high-strung, and a control freak who was never satisfied I developed high blood pressure and began taking medication around 2015.
During my annual physical exam in 2017, I had developed a heart murmur. My father passed away in 2007 of a massive heart attack and now I was beginning to show signs of heart disease. Factors certainly included my mental and physical makeup, the career I chose, my lifestyle, Dad’s sudden death, La Bear’s four surgeries, and Mom’s ultimate demise.
Every other year during my physical exam, I would have an echocardiogram and I began to suffer from aortic stenosis in 2020. Unfortunately, you don’t recover from aortic stenosis as it will worsen over time resulting in it having to be replaced. Over the next few years, my condition went from mild to medium and finally to severe, but I was still relatively asymptomatic now having an “echo” every six months.
One early Friday AM in early February, I began suffering some extreme pain in the right side of my stomach which wasn’t going away. Off to the ER, it was discovered that I had a perforated appendix which means it had burst with my, unusually, having not experienced any prior symptoms. That Friday afternoon I had an appendectomy and a scraping of the top tiers of my colon since the appendix had perforated. I was given a load of antibiotics and released from the hospital the following Monday. Fortunately, I recovered quickly feeling as good as new.
That is until Thursday, April 25th, when after having gone grocery shopping, I began to experience some angina. After taking Master M home, I returned to The Compound and took a short nap hoping the pain in my chest which was accompanied by some severe belching would dissipate. Well, after napping my discomfort still persisted and, yep, it was off to the ER once again. I was in “a fib” with an inconsistent heart rate in the 120’s and there existed some accumulation of fluid around my heart and lungs. I was admitted to Saint Mary’s Hospital where on Friday afternoon an excellent cardiologist performed a heart catheterization finding in addition to my already known aortic stenosis that I had three severely blocked arteries.
Hmm, I knew it was coming, but I certainly hadn’t expected all this. I was seen by a surgical cardiologist on Sunday deciding on an open-heart procedure on either Tuesday or Wednesday AM where he would replace my aortic valve and perform a triple bypass as well as place a clip to control “a fib” and lessen the chance of a stroke.
My procedure began Wednesday morning, May 1st, around 6:30AM and having fortunately survived the six and one-half hour operation, admirably performed by an expert surgical team, I was taken to recovery and a few hours later to cardiac ICU where I stayed for just one day. My hospital recovery went very well and I was finally released on Monday, May 6th, having been hospitalized for eleven very long days.
The care I received at Saint Mary’s was exceptional. Their dedication to providing nothing but the best care was heartfelt. I truly appreciate the outcome and realize how very fortunate I am.
In January, I became committed to leading a healthier lifestyle and began to lose some needed “lbs”. No doubt, the appendectomy and the heart surgery dramatically added to the weight loss as I’ve drastically slimmed down. My recovery at home has gone well having had my surgery three weeks ago. Honestly, I never really felt bad until that Thursday afternoon, but know what eventually happened was only a matter of time.
I always appreciate the unconditional love and support from my family and, of course, another very special “shout-out” to La Bear who has once again been there for me every step of the way!!
Being a very private person, I don’t know why I decided to share this experience with you–it’s certainly not in my so-called “modus operandi”. I’m certainly not seeking any pity or for some of you to feel sorry for me–this is life! So, if you decide to ask me how I’m feeling today, I’m back to saying, “better that I deserve” and that’s the truth! Each day I’m reminded of the experience looking in the mirror and seeing a twelve-inch scar going down the middle of my chest realizing life isn’t to be taken for granted and how lucky and fortunate I am.
Finally, always remember to live each day as if it were your last as tomorrow is never promised. I’m also committed to concentrating on my “dash”!
To everyone–stay well and take care!!