Home - Day 3 - Beauty of the Band-Aid

My friend D. wrote me a message today asking for a picture. It was funny because I hadn't ever really taken a good look at my stitches. It just didn't seem important. D. was asking and I figured, better get a record of what was done.

It's pretty impressive when you think about that 8 inch slit right down my sternum. During my hospital stay all the nurses commented on what a good job it was and Dr. M. did quality work. Having seen my dad's scars and heard about 100 plus staples used to suture up the cut, I looked at this clean vertical line and 3 horizontal cuts and sighed in relief. As far as I was concerned Dr. M. was "da man".

There is something significant that you can't see in the photo, but it is about midway up the sternum cut and to the left. It's a small green dot tatoo that the radiologists used to line up there devices during my radiotherapy for my Hodgkins. The irony is thick. The last remnant of the process that caused this surgery sits right next to the scar of the surgery. Cause and effect, side by each.

In looking at the picture I also started to reflect on what was actually done. The original plan was a triple by-pass with a valve replacement. In my pre-op meeting the surgeon had said "no matter how good the data is from the Ecography, MRI and Angiogram, we'll only know for sure when we get in there". Normally this would worry me when someone talks like this because it's about as definitive as a Yogi Berra prediction. The difference is there was a plan based on the data. If the data was correct the plan would be executed as planned. If the data was incorrect, then adaptations would be made.

I'm simplifying this substantially, but imagine the surgeon once he "gets in there". First order of business is the valve. He takes a close look at the valve: how it opens and closes and the level and distribution of plaque. Then he says to himself, "I reckon I can jig that so it'll work". Now I can guaranty this guy doesn't talk this way because he has more letters after his name than I thought were possible. But that's the way I like to see it. The guy knows his shit and he proceeds with fixing the valve. He shaves the plaque, reshapes the valve opening and then tests it operation. Done. Then he proceeds to the by-pass. Determines that the blockage for two of the arteries are close enough that he can cover it with single by-pass. That brings the total number down to two instead of three.

The results of are amazing to me. No valve replacement means potentially no future surgery. It means no blood thinner. It's HUGE. There are no guarantees, things may degenerate and I may have go back in the end, but I got a fighting chance and in most cases that all anybody needs.

Although it's not necessary I'd like to ponder the beauty of the band-aid in the above picture because it too carries some irony. Here is an 8 in scar that represents to me the mastery of a surgeon able to analyse the condition of a living heart and make on the spot decisions that will impact the life of the individual. Below the scar is a standard band-aid that is the representation of a temporary fix where no mastery is involved. Peal the ends and stick the band-aid on. Hope for the best. I love it.

Today was the first day of walking. My mom and I did the prescribed exercises and then headed out of a 10min walk. I was surprised how winded I was after only 10mins. We did another walk in the afternoon. It's also today where I decided to write this the blog.