Planning the Next River Trip

A few weeks ago my brother called me on a Sunday morning to say he had a "minor cardiac event" and was in the hospital.  Initially, the blood tests showed a very minor event.  Over the next few hours follow-up tests revealed an alarming change in his cardiac blood chemistry.  

The decision was made to transport him by ambulance to the Regional Medical Center, 200 miles away.  There they had the resources to do a cardiac catheterization and anything else that was needed.  On Monday morning they determined that he was not a candidate for arterial stints and needed bypass surgery.  He was admitted and placed on the surgery schedule for the following Monday.

I was dedicated to being there for him and his family when the surgery was done.  He had been there for my own heart surgery 30 months before.  We spent the week hoping he didn't have another event.  Every day was planned around the possible  400 mile dash to his bedside.

Finally the weekend came and the original plan kicked in.  Sunday morning was spent driving, Sunday afternoon, sitting in the hospital talking about stuff and not saying other stuff.  

He was second case for the day on Monday, meaning we reprised Sunday afternoon Monday morning.  Finally, they wheeled him off to pre-op.  Then the wait, we hung around in the waiting room until the operation began.  The nursing tech assured us they would call with news but he would be in surgery for hours.  We ducked out for lunch 5 minutes away.  It was after 10pm when he began to come out of the anesthesia enough to talk to him.  He claims to remember.

In the end they performed a quintuple bypass.  He was discharged from the hospital 4 days later and traveled 200 miles home with a good friend who has a comfortable car.  He is home recuperating and doing well.  His prognosis is good.  With all those new cardiac arteries he will likely feel better than he has in a long time. 

I returned home.  I know he is likely going to be fine.  I know he is going to spend most of the summer recuperating.  I know we will paddle some wonderful river trips in the years to come.

I have not liked this little glimpse at his mortality. 

Just sayin’.