Today I successfully met up with the surgeon Dr X at St Thomas’ Hospital in London to discuss my future “hole in the heart” operation.
He seemed like a very nice doctor, which was reassuring, as not all doctors and surgeons are so friendly. After introductions, I went into full attack with my questions. Firstly, I asked:
“So why didn’t the operation I had to close the hole in my heart work the first time”? If I can jog your memory, I had my first open-heart surgery at the age of 2 and a half in the early 80s. I am now in my 40’s.
He simply replied, “Sometimes it just falls apart.”……. What falls apart? What the hole that was sewed up, fell apart? I always felt it was my fault somehow that i was facing another surgery. Back in the early 80’s, hospital follow-up or after care wasn’t exactly to the standard it is today.
My mum was simply told to “let her get on with her life”. She said the aftercare was “non-existent”. I always kind of assumed I was “fixed,” so in my younger days I lived my life to the full, let’s say, without thinking of the consequences. I was a bit wild in my youth, but no more or less than anyone else.
I did ask one of the doctors once if my wild lifestyle in my early years could have contributed to the hole reopening, but was reassured that no, it is merely “congenital,” whatever that means.
I then asked, so, how will you be fixing the hole in my heart? To which he replied, “We will be using a patch of leather from a cow.
How long will the operation take? To which he replied about 4 hours, including a heart and lung machine.
“Will you have to stop my heart”? For which he replied Yes we will have to stop your heart for about 20 minutes. I was like, “Oh my God,” this is getting really real now. I am basically going to be dead for 20 minutes.
I then asked the usual when, where how questions to which he replied it might take place in a few months.
I asked if he recommended I have the operation, and he said yes, i should have it as I will only deteriorate in time.
He mentioned something about blue blood, and that’s why my oxygen is low. It is currently about 85.
Finally, I asked,? “Will it improve my quality of life?” Yes, most definitely, he said. It should boost your oxygen to 100 percent.
So here we go on my road to heart surgery………….. Full steam ahead.
sindypiper8 