L
Lisa in Katy
By the way, what kind of pie do you have? We might want to come visit you during your recovery! 
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hall
Well-known member
Glad you got this issue resolved. I was wondering what happened. I guess if they go MIA again you can send cardio nurse to the rescue. I would sure ask them if someone will be available if there is a problem. If it is at night or after hours, cardio nurse may not be available. Just a suggestion. Good luck to you.
P
Pielover
Thanks all - and thanks for the well-wishes, too. I'll post (or, more likely have my wife post) an update after surgery.
PairoDocs
Well-known member
Since my situation was so unusual and so emergent, I had no opportunity to meet or even know the existence of my surgeon prior to my OHS. I got to see him for 5 minutes or so a few days after my surgery and made an attempt to go to a six-week followup appointment. This, however, failed due to him being called away for an emergency OHS. I guess I shouldn't whine too much, as my emergency OHS occurred on one of his clinic days, and whatever patients were scheduled to see him, probably had to meet with Molly his nurse or someone else. For completely different reasons than you, I have hardly any contact with Dr. Huerd. My few email attempts were left unanswered.
In my opinion, some surgeons take up that specialty because they naturally lack decent bedside manner, or only have it in limited amounts and have to work hard for what little they have--maybe your first visit was one of those saved up times for him. Basically, they're combinations of plumbers, engineers (the planning part--knowing where to plumb and sew) and seamstresses--cutting, resectioning, sewing it up again--and doing it all right so their patients can resume normal lives when healing permits. None of this requires diplomacy or strong social skills. In fact, since so little of their energies may be dedicated to social niceties, their brains' energies can be saved for the long hours and hard work of fixing up broken people. I think I can put up with a bit of rudeness as long as the lack of interpersonal attentiveness is instead focused on getting my heart fixed right--the attentiveness being used for that instead. Seems to have worked for me.
Maybe your surgeon is like that--a great engineer of the human body--but, like many other engineers I've known, could be more than a bit weak socially. Frankly, I'd be more worried about one who is a social butterfly--I'd hate to have my OHS after my cardio-thoracic surgeon's big kegger.
As for tissue valves, while many people have them replaced 10-20 years out, one of my friends had his for 39 1/2 years, from age 19 to age 58 for a bicuspid aortic valve. He finally elected to get a mechanical valve, and is doing fine, though his sternum healing was delayed somewhat by premature lifting of very heavy rocks. This activity messed up not only his sternum, but his back as well. This weakness lasted about 1 1/2 years. After almost two years post OHS, however, his ability to lift items over 30 lbs. has returned with a vengeance. He can now hoist 150 lbs. of agate or petrified wood at once--just like he used to before the OHS. Aside from a somewhat gray complexion prior to the OHS--I thought this was normal for him--, his health didn't seem impaired by the aged tissue valve. He's now quite pink in complexion and does quite well at high altitudes; before he would get a bit winded above 8000 feet and couldn't camp that high. Now he does better than I do--at age 60 no less.
You're in my prayers for a great surgery. I don't doubt you'll be perfectly fine.
Too bad you're not closer to Idaho. My wife is a multi-year grand champion pie baker (more like an artist if you ask me!). She's won best of class in several pie categories for the past 7 years at our local county fair, and our dining room is festooned with best of class ribbons from her baking achievements. We'd love to make you one of my wife's lemon merangue pies (I raise the source of the 'secret ingredient' in the form of free-range chickens--who lay fantastic eggs of course that lay--as it were--the foundation for the fantastic pies). I'm not sure how to ship such pies, but I think if you were interested maybe we could figure out something. She's good with single and double crust pies--actually teaches classes at a local gourmet cooking store. Perhaps when you feel up to it a visit to Idaho...?
A bitter-sweet irony is this: I'm moderately intolerant of wheat gluten, so I seldom get the privilege of eating her pies. On the other hand, despite having an obese father and overweight people on both sides of my family, my weight is near normal because I can't eat all those fattening wheat-based treats. So I guess I can count my blessings, too. She can bake wheat-free pies, too, but seldom has the time for the extra work.
Chris
In my opinion, some surgeons take up that specialty because they naturally lack decent bedside manner, or only have it in limited amounts and have to work hard for what little they have--maybe your first visit was one of those saved up times for him. Basically, they're combinations of plumbers, engineers (the planning part--knowing where to plumb and sew) and seamstresses--cutting, resectioning, sewing it up again--and doing it all right so their patients can resume normal lives when healing permits. None of this requires diplomacy or strong social skills. In fact, since so little of their energies may be dedicated to social niceties, their brains' energies can be saved for the long hours and hard work of fixing up broken people. I think I can put up with a bit of rudeness as long as the lack of interpersonal attentiveness is instead focused on getting my heart fixed right--the attentiveness being used for that instead. Seems to have worked for me.
Maybe your surgeon is like that--a great engineer of the human body--but, like many other engineers I've known, could be more than a bit weak socially. Frankly, I'd be more worried about one who is a social butterfly--I'd hate to have my OHS after my cardio-thoracic surgeon's big kegger.
As for tissue valves, while many people have them replaced 10-20 years out, one of my friends had his for 39 1/2 years, from age 19 to age 58 for a bicuspid aortic valve. He finally elected to get a mechanical valve, and is doing fine, though his sternum healing was delayed somewhat by premature lifting of very heavy rocks. This activity messed up not only his sternum, but his back as well. This weakness lasted about 1 1/2 years. After almost two years post OHS, however, his ability to lift items over 30 lbs. has returned with a vengeance. He can now hoist 150 lbs. of agate or petrified wood at once--just like he used to before the OHS. Aside from a somewhat gray complexion prior to the OHS--I thought this was normal for him--, his health didn't seem impaired by the aged tissue valve. He's now quite pink in complexion and does quite well at high altitudes; before he would get a bit winded above 8000 feet and couldn't camp that high. Now he does better than I do--at age 60 no less.
You're in my prayers for a great surgery. I don't doubt you'll be perfectly fine.
Too bad you're not closer to Idaho. My wife is a multi-year grand champion pie baker (more like an artist if you ask me!). She's won best of class in several pie categories for the past 7 years at our local county fair, and our dining room is festooned with best of class ribbons from her baking achievements. We'd love to make you one of my wife's lemon merangue pies (I raise the source of the 'secret ingredient' in the form of free-range chickens--who lay fantastic eggs of course that lay--as it were--the foundation for the fantastic pies). I'm not sure how to ship such pies, but I think if you were interested maybe we could figure out something. She's good with single and double crust pies--actually teaches classes at a local gourmet cooking store. Perhaps when you feel up to it a visit to Idaho...?
A bitter-sweet irony is this: I'm moderately intolerant of wheat gluten, so I seldom get the privilege of eating her pies. On the other hand, despite having an obese father and overweight people on both sides of my family, my weight is near normal because I can't eat all those fattening wheat-based treats. So I guess I can count my blessings, too.
She can bake wheat-free pies, too, but seldom has the time for the extra work.Chris
S
Susan BAV
Hoping all goes well for you; take care
.
