Pessimistic? Not really!
I had thought that by now the timing of the operation to remove my stomach would be known. Everything seemed to be going along swimmingly; on the 22nd April I attended Professor David Barnes’ rooms at the RPAH Medical Centre. He was to evaluate my lungs, my breathing and the amount of oxygen in my blood amongst other things and he was surprised and I might say seemed pleased with my condition, especially as I had been a fairly heavy/regular puffer of cigarettes for many years. I gave them up overnight in September 1991 so I’ve been free from that pernicious weed / addiction for almost a quarter of a century. Sounds a long time and better when I put it like that. Professor Barnes gave me a thumbs up for the operation, (actually that should be thumbs down, thumbs down to let the victim live up to kill him off)
Prior to seeing Professor Barnes on the 22nd I saw Professor Jens Kilian on the 16th, Prof Kilian is a cardiologist, he gave me a good going over and detected a small murmur and decided to run further tests. The first ‘Echo’ test was made one week later and the second ‘Echo’ stress test a week later again. Seemed I failed the second ‘Echo’ test.
Now I have to have an angiogram and this will be done on Wednesday, less than 48 hours from now. I had one many years ago and I found the actual procedure quite enthralling as you are conscious throughout the entire procedure. It was not very pleasant after, I recall having to lie perfectly still for some considerable time, couple of hours if memory serves me aright as the catherter was inserted into the artery in my right thigh and any movement would open the wound; or something along those lines.
Professor Kilian will not give his okay for the go ahead until he is satisfied that the old ticker will stand up to the strain of the operation. I realize it’s a major op and lasts between 4 and 5 hours, however I’m happy to take my chances and put myself in the hands of Professor Charbel Sandroussi, I’m sure he will do a damned fine job and am very confident of success; whether the operation is a success but the patient dies is in the lap of the gods as one is wont to say. but I believe it is worth the risk if you have confidence in the man in charge, and I certainly do! 😀
You might note that in this post I have elected to name all the physicians who have examined me, in my previous posts and emails to my chums I refrained from doing so as I believed that it might be against these eminent physicians and surgeons ethics however all are listed on the Internet with their qualifications and specialities. So if my reader is interested then he, or she, only need to copy and paste the names into Google and get the full monty.
Hopefully after Wednesday all systems are go as they say in NASA! 😛
LordBeariOfBow 
. . . do gods have laps?
I suppose they do since they appear to sit around on their ass and do nothing all damn day.
Really, I would not count on the laps of the gods.
May a favorable angiogram be in your future.
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I’m with you pal, but favourable or not I hope the op goes ahead, the alternative doesn’t really have much appeal to me; 😛
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Just occured to me, I sit around on my arse most of the day! Does that make me a god 🙄
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Depends . . . what are you doing in your lap?
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Don’t get personal
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they are truly putting you through the ringer – I suppose it is to make you feel you are getting your money’s worth.
All jokes aside, on Wednesday I shall be thinking of you, wishing you well. all the very best, Ira
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I haven’t had to pay anything except a small portion of one surgeons fee, I think so far I’m out of pocket for perhaps $100 or so, this is Australia still. tony abbott hasn’t ruined it completely yet
Thanks for the good wishes all will go well I’m sure; after all it is the RPAH 😀
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Brian, not sure but sounds like a cardiac cath, (angiogram), of which I had 5 of when I was sick, Must say that femerol artery felt like raw meat after the 3 or 4th.
I am sending positive thoughts, so that they may precede with surgery.
Keep me informed.
Lisa
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Yes Lisa that’s what I’m having tomorrow, an angiogram, I have to present myself at the RPAH at 0700 hours and there’s a chance that I’ll be kept in overnight so I have to do my little boy scout trick and be prepared so I’ll be taking my ‘jamas and slippers and whatever else Kerry tells me to take. Hopefully I’ll be discharged before the day is over and the result will be the all clear to go ahead with the operation, I’m feeling confident it will be 😀
By the way did you check out all those doctors? I thought you might do that because of your background with the medical profession.
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