A couple of personal anniversarys one biggish and one huge.

[Rogo23]

Twelve months ago I was moved from Shrewsbury cardiac ward to Wolverhampton so that I could be given a angiogram, so I smoked my last cigarette exactly 365 days ago to the minute, I stubbed it out and got into the ambulance at 09.00, and I was not allowed outside of new cross for another eight days. So that is the 'biggish' one I do use a vape but that is now only two or three times a day and a 0.6% juice and in another couple of months hopefully stopped completely .

So there I was for my angio and a possible stent or two or three, the nice lady put the probey thingy in to my left wrist, and I lay watching it's progress on the big tv. My thoughts were 1, this is a fairly scary thing some really good looking lady who does seems rather Yong is pushing a bit of flexible metal towards my hart and I have had to sign bits of paper saying that I understand that things can go south.

And 2, this room is rather cold and why are surgical gowns backless? Is there ever a reason for a cardiac surgeon to acsses your bum in a emergency?.

So she squirts the gunk and I see the pretty swirls around my hart in glorious black and white, and she pulls out the probey thingy totally forgetting to leave any stents behind, this was my first indication that cardiac surgeons do ocassinaly tell you the odd Porkie, she hadn't fitted a stent so I must be ok it's all a big misunderstanding (conveniently forgetting that Nasty little hart attack and the shouty nurse in casualty).

Then a softly spoken Italian man appears Mr 'R' and explains that apparently I am a special customer and he wants to give me a triple hart bypass, he said lots of things but for some reason after the word bypass all I heard was bla bla Vlady bla.

And on Tuesday next week it will be twelve months since the huge anniversary my cabg X3 , but like I said cardiac surgeons do tell you the odd Porkie because I went in for 3 new bits, and came round (well sort of if you have done intensive care you know what I mean) I came round with a cabgx4.

On Thursday morning last week we went rowing on the river in Chester, from the stage to the marina and back in 28 minutes, I was not watching the time so it was a bit of a shock to be told that we still had 17 minutes left. We walked all around the walls and hired a couple of bicycles and went for a nice ride.

Not bad for someone who this time last year signed a pice of paper saying that I understood that I might not wake up.

Thanks Mr 'R' and the new cross team one year down hopefully lots more to come.

[Heyjude31]

Brilliant news Rogo23. I have my one year anniversary coming up in September after my CABG x4. Life is precious, here’s to many more years 👏👏😊

[Rogo23 in reply to Heyjude31]

Thanks and here's to your anniversary 👍

[Chappychap]

Congratulations on quitting smoking...that's a massive achievement as well as a giant step towards gaining yourself many more years of healthy, active life.

But to really get the job done you'll also need to dump the vaping, all in good time and when you're ready, but it was spelt out on the Cardio Rehab I attended that nicotine in any form is a serious heart disease risk.

I'm coming up to my four year CABG anniversary and they've been four absolutely amazing years. I've lost weight, exercise regularly, eat healthily, stopped taking nicotine lozenges, and I feel twenty years younger.

Our bypass surgery can't unfortunately cure our heart disease, but it gives us a precious second chance to put our lives in order. Every day I thank those wonderful doctors and nurses for their stupendous gift!

Good luck!

[Rogo23 in reply to Chappychap]

Thanks, I am aiming to get off the vape. But I also know too many people who went from cigarettes to vaping, worked hard at it and managed to stop. And then suddenly they are back on the fags, I would rather take it slow and stop and stay that way, so slow but sure.But like yourself I aim for the 150 minutes a week, which translates into cardio five one hour sessions a week, with added hill walking on the weekends.

And a regrettable lack of pork pies in my life.

But on the plus side I am here to regret the lack of the pork pies 😁.

[Nannysue1]

Fabulous success story.

[Wooodsie]

Happy anniversary Rogo 23. An amusing and insightful post 😃👏👏

[Gus4]

I too am one year post bypass on Wednesday ! Well done Rogo on the fags and pork pies ; you know it makes sense 😉

Cant thank the surgeons enough for giving us a second chance 😁

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

Loved your ‘tale’. To be slightly pedantic…..Cardiologists don’t intend to tell Porkies, mine say they don’t know exactly what’s going on till they get in and see. Hence their admiration for angiogram technology.

[Rogo23 in reply to Kristin1812]

I have nothing but total gratitude towards Mr 'R'and all of the new cross and Shrewsbury hospital staff, without them I would not be able to write my tale.Although I would not have cared if he had stuck in eight,he gave me this second chance.

[Cee-Cee1]

What a brilliant post Rogo - very funny and very inspiring too. My lovely, amazing surgeon Gwyn was good at the old porkies as well after my HA in January this year - "they're just checking to see if you might need a stent" - "Ooops - I mean triple bypass next month". (Maybe they have 'porkie' training as part of their studies.) All well here too and hoping to get back to work, part-time to start with, very soon! Good Luck and wishing you the Happiest of Anniversaries as well. Carol😃

[Rogo23 in reply to Cee-Cee1]

Good luck with the back to work, for me it was a definite turning point. Went from Will I ever get well to hear we go and I will come for a quick one after work.

[ClairePap]

Well done on the smoking.

I live in Telford and can not echo the praise of New Cross enough - I had a fabulous Greek surgeon in November give me a New Valve. I now just need to get fit and loose some weight. You are an inspiration to others

[Rogo23 in reply to ClairePap]

Just outside of Oswestry, so hello neighbor and thanks 😉, good luck with your own recovery.