6. Post Operation : It hurts only when I laugh …

I spent 3 nights in ICU, even though there was no ‘complications’. My heart beat was 80+, my blood pressure was yo-yoing up and down, blood sugar was high. I was given extra blood and plasma.
The nurses were OK. They cleaned my wounds once a day, checked BP, oxygen and blood sugar regularly, and did whatever else is standard. My right leg was wrapped with TDL stockings, and my chest had to be strapped with what looks like a bullet-proof vest. The physiotherapist came for breathing exercises, and guided walks around the floor.
What I could not stand was the food – porridge, soups and things that has that hospital taste. No papayas, bananas, or grapes, as I had to control my blood sugar. No salt, as that is not good for hypertension. And a nurse kept asking me almost every day : What did you eat today? Have you gone to the toilet?
What could I say, all you take in is air … and water. I managed to go to the toilet, though after I was returned to the ward on Thursday 23rd October, and that only with the help of laxatives.

Some visitors asked me : does it hurt? I tell them : It hurts only when I laugh … and even more when I cough. So no jokes, please. That’s why I have this vest on all the time.
I was also asked : was I afraid to have this operation? Well to be honest, I was looking forward to it, and to end this chest pain once and for all. I do not have a new engine, just a reconditioned engine with new exhausts. This is a new lease of life. Hopefully this will last 15 to 20 years; that’s all I ask for. I put my trust in the doctor, and God. And I thank God for that. Thank you too to the team that has done an excellent job.

Here I would like to mention some problems related to the operation :

1. The operation has cost me an arm and a leg. My right arm is blue and black from the wrist to the elbow on the underside which took more than three weeks to disappear. The inside of my right foot is black with bluish red bruises going up right until below the knee. This is taking an even longer time to disappear. The pain in my chest is nothing compared to the pain in the leg.
2. Insomnia. I was restless almost every night, and slept at most an hour or two. The doctor prescribed some sleeping pills, but it didn’t make any difference. It was only after 3 weeks that I started having more hours of sleep, but then again only 3 – 4 hours a night. I spent time watching TV, playing SUDOKU, and replying emails. I received a lot of SMSs and emails wishing me Get Well Soon.
3. After 3 weeks, the wound in my chest is showing signs of healing. However, the incisions on my leg where the vein was pulled out is giving me problems. It is itching and sometimes throbbing. At one time, I took off the TDL stockings for about half a day, and then I noticed the leg bulging and hardening – like an over pressurized balloon. Immediately put the stockings on, and kept my leg above body level. It was OK later, but that was a lesson learned. Basically that saphenous vein is used to route back about 10% of body fluids from the leg to the heart. When the vein is taken, the body fluids will have to find new routes … and since the routes have not been properly established yet, it caused fluid retention.
4. Then there was this thing I mentioned earlier. A lot of things that happened throughout the whole operation slipped my mind. I could not remember who came and who didn’t. I couldn’t remember what actually happened and when. It was only after long deliberations with my wife that I managed to piece back all the things that happened, and to write this blog. I do not know whether this is normal or not.
5. Finally another strange event … I went to an eye specialist to make new glasses. The optician took my glasses and noted the power. Then I was given a computerized eye test. Three times the test was taken, and the readings were fluctuating … so much so that the optician refused to give me a prescription. The readings were considerably lower than that from my existing glasses, but the optician has never before encountered fluctuating readings like mine.

When I checked in at the hospital, I asked my secretary to distribute all my existing arrangements, which she did. I was told to forget about work. One of my colleagues reminded me that my program was too hectic, that I must learn to say NO! I was rushing everywhere, day in and day out, until my heart finally screamed : STOP!
Now I have 3 months to hang around … reading emails, searching the net for details on heart bypass operations, playing SUDOKU, and of course, writing this blog.

How does it feel now? I feel 10 years younger. And I hope I can stay that way … 48 forever!