Don't be afraid of heart bypass surgery ....

by Durgesh Kumar Srivastava
(New Delhi, India)

Listen to your doctor and not to the next man in the park or club.

Hi, fellow retiree friends !

I had a problem of shortness of breath in June, 2010. My son took me to a local doctor who began his treatment, writing a big two-page prescription and prescribed many diagnostic tests. While the tests were going on the problem persisted. I looked at the prescription minutely. In one corner of the second page, the doctor had written "referred to AIIMS".

That made me alert. I quickly arranged to be examined in a specialised heart hospital. They quickly establised that there were blockages in three arteries. They set the date for surgery, but a day before it the surgery was postponed because of some problems related to urea uric acid and creatinine in my blood. They discharged me on the 15th day and said a new date of surgery will be set. Meanwhile my breathing problems had disappeared and I felt normal. I came back home to await the new date of surgery.

As I walked into the park nearby on the next day I was given a variety of suggestions - you do not need surgery; why not try Yoga; that particular doctor will clear your arterial blockages with his medicines in three months; surgery will debilitate you completely; reduce your weight by 10-15 kgs and your blockages will open up on their own; try homoepathy; try the juice of the bark of Arjun tree and so on. People had stories of success with alternative therapies or no therapies. All the advisors were non-doctors. Some even gave me the home-remedies to use. I did not listen to them and decided to pursue my course to bypass surgery in the hospital.

The surgery was successful and I have come back home. One should ensure that the hospital is well-equipped, the surgeon an expert in his field and the nursing care good.

For me, day 1 of the surgery was pain free, day 2 was drowsy and so pain-free and with so many lines, pipes and catheters tucked into me, inconvenient. But these were gradually removed and I felt comfortable. On day 3 I was wide awake and felt some pain which was bearable. They made me sit, stand and wealk - all gradually and with proper support. They even gave me toilet training like I had been given as a one year old.

On the 4th day, they removed me from the Recovery Room to the Ward. I made rapid progress and was discharged on the 7th day. The quiet confidence of the doctor and the careful nursing support helped debug the myth that heart bypass surgery is painful or risky. Expert physiotherapy is a great help.

One more thing - be ready to answer questions on past illnesses and surgeries, allergies use of steroid etc. Even small details help the doctor. Maintain files of your medical record.

So friends, don't postpone your plans for heart or any other surgery. Don't listen to non-doctors or to quacks. Go to a good hospital at the first sign of illness. Also remember that there are no ideal season or month for surgery.

If you are ready, the hospital and the doctors are! No surgery should be delayed for extraneous reasons such as a marriage in the family, or a recent death or an ensuing festival. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine !

Durgesh 26th Aug.,2010

Comments for Don't be afraid of heart bypass surgery ....

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Bypass Surgery: think seriously
by: Anonymous

hello bhaiyya ji,

just to corroborate the advantages of by pass

it is a tradition in the uk that on the third day the surgeon who operated on you and the chief nurse go out to see a play (cost borne by the hospital) and a glass of red wine also on the house... just to tell you that all is normal and please continue to live well.

however when i went through my by pass(triple)... I was shocked ... in that the guy who did my angio was a friend..(a lt gen in the army) the guy who recommended the by pass was a friend ... the guy who rec the stent was a friend... anyone whom you met rec either a by pass or a stent.. but all of them asked the name of the doctor who recommended my surgeons name ... i asked why and they said .... He gets his CUT

shocking but true

where ever you get operated... no matter who is the surgeon... it is a conveyer belt system .... 5/7 patients all for a cabg... the big doctor is only there for reacting in an emergency..nothing else... the doctors who cut you open are like mochi's and the doctor who is in charge of the operation is a lackey.... this is a commercial world and we are the guinea pigs.

another truth

the biggest hoax of the medical world is the expiry date on the medicines.... how can one medicine be a life saver till its expiry date and the next day it is useless...

surf the net and three big guys admit to perpetuating this hoax for the last half century

just type statin on google to understand what damage this medicine can do for the remainder of your life... this is the standard drug prescribed for life to all bypass suckers.

get back to naturopathy... and may i ask a question.... as we get older why does our desire to live longer get activated... when we were young we abused our bodies..and now we want to continue... the old hindu system of tyag is the best... why not walk out of this world at your terms instead of the doctors

have fun

vimal(gunu)

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