Sean's Simple Heart Surgery: The Short Version
It's late but people have been waiting so I'm going to write a short summary of what happened.
Got up at the crack of dawn.
Drove to hospital.
Changed into a gown.
Got shaved even more than I had already shaved.
Got wheeled into the operating room.
Got strapped down (wouldn't want me to move around while they ran wires into my heart and zapped me with electricity).
One catheter in the neck, two in the groin (each where a leg meets my pelvis, in the front).
X-ray machine positioned over me, bank of monitors nearby for the doctor to navigate via a "heart GPS" system.
Mild sedative.
I got a brief glimpse of the chest X-ray where they were navigating the wires up the catheters into my heart.
Relaxed and closed my eyes while they worked.
They used the wires to map out my heart and sometimes to speed it up. Very weird feeling tired and mildly drugged while your heart is racing like you've been running.
Drugged me with a stimulant to check the problem area.
Doctors decided to not use microwaves because the problem area was close to a critical area; opted to use freezing method... slowly freezing lets them see if the treatment was interfering with critical area, and if it was they could thaw it and reposition.
Ended up treating two problem areas.
Catheters withdrawn, wheeled into my room. Told to lie still for 2 hours to let myself recover a bit (they didn't want me moving my legs or neck where the catheters were, as it would risk bleeding).
Fed me some food, kept me in observation for 2 more hours.
Wes picked me up from hospital.
James Sutter took me from the office to home (I left my car at the office).
Spent Wednesday at home. Napped a lot. Ate ice cream (twice) and worked on some files.
Felt like I was kicked in the neck and near the groin... but as far as heart surgery goes, that's not so bad.
Neck looks like it has a bug bite. Groin catheter sites look similar except there's also a thumbprint-sized bruise near each one.
I'm fully mobile but I'm not supposed to do any hard exercise or lift anything over 10 pounds for a week.
I feel great other than the soreness.
I should be able to try a little caffeine and see how it affects me.
Doctor normally schedules a followup appointment 1 week after the surgery, but I told him I had a convention in Indiana that week, he said it was no problem and I could come in the week after that.
I WILL be at Gen Con!
I am very appreciative of modern science, my friends, and my very good Paizo health insurance.
Thanks for your concern and well-wishes. :)
Got up at the crack of dawn.
Drove to hospital.
Changed into a gown.
Got shaved even more than I had already shaved.
Got wheeled into the operating room.
Got strapped down (wouldn't want me to move around while they ran wires into my heart and zapped me with electricity).
One catheter in the neck, two in the groin (each where a leg meets my pelvis, in the front).
X-ray machine positioned over me, bank of monitors nearby for the doctor to navigate via a "heart GPS" system.
Mild sedative.
I got a brief glimpse of the chest X-ray where they were navigating the wires up the catheters into my heart.
Relaxed and closed my eyes while they worked.
They used the wires to map out my heart and sometimes to speed it up. Very weird feeling tired and mildly drugged while your heart is racing like you've been running.
Drugged me with a stimulant to check the problem area.
Doctors decided to not use microwaves because the problem area was close to a critical area; opted to use freezing method... slowly freezing lets them see if the treatment was interfering with critical area, and if it was they could thaw it and reposition.
Ended up treating two problem areas.
Catheters withdrawn, wheeled into my room. Told to lie still for 2 hours to let myself recover a bit (they didn't want me moving my legs or neck where the catheters were, as it would risk bleeding).
Fed me some food, kept me in observation for 2 more hours.
Wes picked me up from hospital.
James Sutter took me from the office to home (I left my car at the office).
Spent Wednesday at home. Napped a lot. Ate ice cream (twice) and worked on some files.
Felt like I was kicked in the neck and near the groin... but as far as heart surgery goes, that's not so bad.
Neck looks like it has a bug bite. Groin catheter sites look similar except there's also a thumbprint-sized bruise near each one.
I'm fully mobile but I'm not supposed to do any hard exercise or lift anything over 10 pounds for a week.
I feel great other than the soreness.
I should be able to try a little caffeine and see how it affects me.
Doctor normally schedules a followup appointment 1 week after the surgery, but I told him I had a convention in Indiana that week, he said it was no problem and I could come in the week after that.
I WILL be at Gen Con!
I am very appreciative of modern science, my friends, and my very good Paizo health insurance.
Thanks for your concern and well-wishes. :)