Best Laid Plans

[Telboi]

Hi Nice people, hope you are all good and well.

I must say that 8 weeks after CABG I’m feeling almost back to normal (as normal as normal can be) ....

I had my sign-off meet at the The hospital yesterday, with my Surgeon, the one I look up to now as the man who was between me and my maker.

I was very excited about for some reason, maybe thinking there would be a ‘well done’, or ‘oh that scar looks great’ - you know, just some emotion from him, but I found it quite depressing.

The surgeon was in his scrubs, and looked flustered. There was almost a look of ‘why are you here’. He was also frustrated that he couldn’t get my records up on computer.

Thankfully I had prepared a list of questions for him - from Meds to Exercise to Diet etc, and I got all answered, but it was a very cold experience, and almost like pulling teeth.

I actually felt a bit embarrassed being there. Emotionally I think I was looking for some kind of elegant closure, but I left the Hospital feeling a bit empty and down, and sad.

I woke up this morning and ‘am over it’, but it was just a shame. Felt a bit let down at a time when I’m irrational, emotional and too damn sensitive!

Poor guy was probably up to his neck in the stress of new important surgeries and I expected too much.

Anyway, hope you are all doing brilliantly, just wanted to share that ‘some days this is great, some days it sucks’ - and that is perfectly OK.

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

That sounds a real shame, particularly as you're doing so well! Congratulations coming through your op. and afterwords, so well. You obviously did your bit!

But I only have phone apps now, with the Cons. and that might have been better for you, yesterday. And with someone who wasn’t probably trying to cover ‘routines’ (like what you are, now!), emergencies and Covid wards, too. He certainly sounded too stressed to give you much sensitivity.

I’m sure you read the news like I do, and even have relatives working in the NHS. We know it’s tough on them, and happily, you were very forgiving!

[istimewa]

Well done to you for getting through a CABG and 8 weeks of postop recovery. You have a lot of resilience, clearly. You deserve a better interaction from your main heart care provider. Take care of the sternum as it is still healing internally after being opened up. Could you interact with the cardiologist involved in your heart care instead, coz the cardiologist may have more spare capacity than the heart surgeon, just in case! Wish you more and more better days as you go onwards