This morning, Thursday January 25, 2023 I’m in the Cardiac Unit of St. Boniface Hospital in the Asper Building. There have been several emails and texts as Shirley has been keeping people informed on this part of the Journey and this post is to gather that all together to catch everyone up on what’s been happening.
On January 12th we had the pre-op meeting which went well and then we were waiting for the phone call with a surgery date. We got that call on Friday January 19 and the date was set for 6:15am today, January 25. On Monday January 22nd we got another call from the scheduling folks and the time was changed to 11:30am. No problem, and this was actually a better time as we could have a normal start to the day and not get up at 4am!
This morning we get another 8am phone call with another change of plans. It’s the surgeon, Dr. Fagan, and he talks to us about a couple of concerns that arose yesterday during the full team meeting about my bypass surgery. He expressed two major concerns, the first being my low platelet count thanks to cancer treatments and my bout with febrile neutropenia in June/July. Low platelets increase the risk of bleeding as they are a key component in blood clotting. The second concern is the possibility of tissue scarring in the area where they are going to be operating. The tissue scarring is caused by cancer radiation treatments. They know there is scarring but it’s unclear how much and what impact it will have. They won’t know until they open me up and have a look.
So while I look pretty healthy, and various health professionals say I’m a good candidate for the surgery, on paper the numbers have a different story to tell. And, in medical jargon I have some interesting “co-morbidities” ,cancer (in remission) and Crohns, (perhaps) which the surgical team are taking into account.
Another reason for the delay was that the surgeon didn’t want to do it late in the day but preferred a first thing in the morning surgery. I think this is to be cautious with having a full day and possibly more resources available if there are difficulties.
As a result of all this there will be no surgery today (25th) and the Hematology group is being called in on a consult to get their thoughts on the issues. To make this consult happen faster I’m admitted to the hospital so I’m readily available. Plus, I’m now wired into the cardiac system and my heart activity is monitored and recorded via a wireless telemetry system. I certainly feel that I’m in a safe place given my current condition.
Through all of this Shirley and I have had amazing support from our family, friends, and church friends both near and far. We’ve received so many encouraging emails, texts and phone calls. You all have helped lift us up.
This delay is certainly challenging for me emotionally. Waiting and getting psyched up for the surgery and then having things change brings its own anxiety. A friend summed it up bluntly this morning.
Well that sucks!
Both Shirley & I had a great laugh when we read that, which was a welcome relief.
So, what to do about the anxiety? God’s Word to the rescue in today’s Verse of the Day.
Certainly, anxiety is not good and very unpleasant. My challenge now is to take these thoughts captive and pray about everything.
Thanks for reading
Wow. You certainly do things in an unpredictable way. We will hang in thier with you. Take care my friend.