A simple rule that every good man knows by heart
It’s smarter to be lucky than it’s lucky to be smart—Stephen Schwartz, Pippin
It’s Smarter To Be Lucky
I must really be smart because I am, apparently, at least during that week in April, the luckiest bastard on earth.
Lucky because I managed to experience the onset of a heart attack while staying in the home, not only of very good friends, but a premed student and his retired registered nurse mother, and to be whisked away to one of Ontario’s most highly rated research and teaching coronary care hospitals.
Additionally, I just happened to arrive and require evaluation when the division head of cardiac surgery and McMaster University Professor, Department of Surgery, Division Cardiac Surgery, Dr. Andre Lamy, happened to be on call.
But without a doubt my greatest good fortune was and is to be married to one of, if not the, most loving man in the world, my Jonny Bear.
As I mentioned before, once I’d been told I needed to be stabilized overnight prior to undergoing open heart surgery, I don’t remember a thing. I can tell you, based on the fact that I practically had to conduct a full NY Times style interview with Jon and Brodie to piece together what happened that Wednesday and Thursday, it must have been an arduous ordeal.
Reading this account from the beginning you can be forgiven for thinking I’ve gone out of my way to portray myself as being cool, calm, and collected during the hours leading up to this point. Trust me, nothing could be further from the truth.
In the past, when sedated for things like colonoscopies and appendectomies, I’ve noticed that in order to protect myself from my own irrational fears, I’ve had a tendency to become kind of a wise guy, cracking jokes and being a bit sarcastic.
I know, how unlike me.
This is pretty much what I was doing during those hours that led up to the moment I realized I was about to undergo what could possibly be the final moments of my life.
This is why, while I have no memory of any of this, I was so pleased to learn from Jon that the morning of my surgery, I broke down in tears several times and told him how terrified I was.
It’s good to know you’re human after all.
As for what went on doing those two days I was sedated into oblivion, some weeks after I returned from the hospital, I found the following record of my operation on my Facebook timeline:
Hi everyone,
This is Chuck’s husband Jon updating. Chuck had a “minor” heart attack on Monday night and at 9am EST is undergoing a quadruple (or potentially more) bypass operation. Turns out that there was a lot more blockages around his heart and we’re all very glad that an angiogram caught them all. The procedure should be finished in 6 hours if all goes well.
He’s in one of the best places in the province for surgery, and staff was very happy with his stabilized health overnight. They greenlit the procedure early this morning.
I’m not sure how I would have handled this without the help of my best friend Brodie, and his retired nurse mom, Sheila.
I will update more as I get updates myself. Hug your loved ones, and tell them that you love them, twice. Please send your very best healing vibes our way. We’re going to need them. ❤
Update: 11:30AM. Things are off to a good start according to the nurse. Surgery is proceeding as expected. 👍
Update: 1:20pm. Three bypasses done successfully so far.
Update: 2:30pm. Bypasses are done. His heart has begun beating again on its own. ❤
Update: 2:50pm. Surgeon has visited and said in total it was 4 bypasses as expected, and the outcome was slightly better than expected. Stabilizing overnight put him in optimal condition for the procedure. Brodie and I (Jon) are going to go visit in about 20-30 mins. Thanks everyone.
Update: 3:45pm Chuck is stable, heart beating on its own, sleeping soundly. The ICU team is wonderfully communicative and warm. He’s in great hands.
Update: 9pm. Final visit for the evening. Trach tube out, snoozing, in and out of a daze. But also aware of who Brodie and I are, and happy to see us. He needs rest and the ICU nurse asks us to wait until 11am to return in the morning. So far, so good.
Amidst all of the updates were more well wishes, and prayers for my safe recovery than I could keep track of.
Told you I was the luckiest bastard on earth.
Edited by
Kenneth Larsen
Next week: The Cardiac Chronicles Part 4, Starship Recovery
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