# Countdown to heart surgery **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 19, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963 "2012-08-19T14:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/1 "2012-08-19T14:37:59Z")
Tomorrow morning at 5:15, I’ll be checking in at the Cleveland Clinic for heart surgery. I’ll be getting a new aortic valve, plus quadruple bypass. I’ll be in the OR about six hours, then in the hospital a week, then convalescing at home for several months. The worst part will be not being able to drive for 6-8 weeks. The good news is that the Cleveland Clinic has the best Cardiovascular Department in the country, and my surgeon is the Head of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. So I’m in the best of hands. The only strange thing is that I’m not feeling any fear of anxiety about the surgery . . . just looking forward to getting it behind me. So anyway . . . I’m not taking my laptop to the hospital, so the next time you guys will hear from me will be about a week from now. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/2 "2012-08-19T14:41:38Z")
Good luck! Let’s just hope the head surgeon hasn’t pissed off Dr. House or made a bet with him lately 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/3 "2012-08-19T14:43:20Z")
Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/4 "2012-08-19T14:48:38Z")
Sending out a wish for a complete and speedy recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/5 "2012-08-19T14:51:10Z")
Panache- best of luck. I am sure you won’t need it but we’ll all be thinking of you. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/6 "2012-08-19T16:05:11Z")
Wishing you the best, **Panache**! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/7 "2012-08-19T16:19:01Z")
I hadn’t spotted that you were unwell. Very best wishes for a speedy recovery. And on the plus side, all that time convalescing means more time for reading the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/8 "2012-08-19T16:47:36Z")
Best wishes! Hope everything goes well and you’re back soon! ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/9 "2012-08-19T16:52:54Z")
Wishing you very good luck and a fast, uneventful recovery! ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/10 "2012-08-19T16:52:58Z")
Good luck on your surgery! See you in a week. 🙂 (although, you may be asking your partner to bring the laptop if you get too bored with TV and hospital routine) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/11 "2012-08-19T17:15:41Z")
You’ll be a new man! It completely changed my life. Best wishes on a speedy recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/12 "2012-08-19T17:42:10Z")
Wow, **panache** , that’s a big deal! Good luck, and please have someone give us an update ASAP so we know how it all went! A week of waiting will make us all insane, you know that! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/13 "2012-08-19T18:02:07Z")
**panache** , I’ll be thinking about you!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/14 "2012-08-20T02:24:11Z")
I’ll pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/15 "2012-08-20T02:30:21Z")
Best wishes, there is no need to be nervous, as you don’t have any complicated tasks ahead of you except recovery. Remember to not sneeze, cough or laugh while your sternum is healing. Clutch your pillow tightly. Once you are out of ICU and in the cardiothoracic ward, walk as much as you can. All the pain killers will constipate you. Bummer, but you get over it. TSS, open heart surgery fan. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/16 "2012-08-20T03:08:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ll pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. +1 You know, there have been Dopers who posted while they were in labor. How about passing the time in pre-op by giving us a blow by blow? No? Where am I going, and why am I in this handbasket? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/17 "2012-08-20T03:22:54Z")
Best of luck! Glad you are in the best hands! Maybe some day we’ll see you on a Cleveland Clinic TV commercial 🙂 “It’s Tuesday…” ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/18 "2012-08-20T03:46:48Z")
Sending good vibes for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery your way! We’ll all be pulling for you. ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/19 "2012-08-20T04:03:06Z")
Good luck! It doesn’t get much better than the Cleveland Clinic, they performed my mom’s brain surgery a few years back. I wish you a speedy recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963/20 "2012-08-20T04:17:23Z")
Good luck and have a quick recovery! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countdown-to-heart-surgery/631963.md?page=2)