October 23, 2008

The Word From the Surgeon

We talked to the surgeon. Dad has three blockages, one each of the right coronary artery, the left circumflex artery, and the posterior descending artery. Unfortunately, those are the three most important arteries supplying blood to the heart. All three have an occlusion of greater than 95%, which is to say almost no blood is getting though.

He's been going strong this far because the nearby marginal arteries are contributing blood back into the primary arteries. That doesn't work all that well, which is why he had his trouble. For the record, there doesn't seem to be any damage to the heart muscle itself, so it doesn't count as a "heart attack", just a transient issue.

So the plan now is a triple bypass. That'll happen tomorrow. Following surgery, there'll be a four to seven day hospital stay. When he leaves, he'll be fully functional, i.e. able to move around and do the tasks necessary for normal living. He can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk or do anything athletic for a two to four week home recovery period. (Despite the name, he can go back to work if he feels up to it.) Lastly, he will not be allowed to drive for eight weeks.

So, I am hereby assigning myself as home health aide, chauffeur, and dogsbody.

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