Heart Sick (7)
I came face to face with my surgeon, finally. Dr KK Pau turned out to be a friendly and very experienced heart surgeon. I later googled and found him with many accolades and lead quite a few "first’s" achievements during his 10-year plus stay with the Heart Institute.
Funny thing was when I was first introduced to him by the cardiologist, he was always referred to as ‘Mr’ Pau; I had to double-check his name tag on his door to make sure he’s a real doctor! I was told later that surgeons are always referred to as Mr. Why? I have no idea.
During the half-hour consultation, I was again told that an open heart surgery was my best option. He was confident I would make it, although my risks are generally higher due to my heart failure condition. He went through about how he would cut through this and that, take this out and put that in here and there…. All I could hear was, ironically, my own heartbeats… When he finally stopped and looked at me in the eyes, and I presumed he had just asked me, “so how? Are you game?” I just said, “Ok. When can we do this?”
The doc opened his appointment book, and every page was filled with different patients’ names! He looked at me and said, “Earliest for a confirmed booking will be in 2 months’ time” I couldn’t possibly wait for another week! Not that I was too trilled to get into the operating theatre but the anxiety would kill me first! Probably my facial expression gave me away, he then suggested I checked into the hospital in 2 weeks’ time and he’d get me prepped and I would wait and on ‘stand-by’; anytime a patient not coming (whatever that means!!) or they found an empty OT they would slot me in. He assured me I would not need to wait too long this way.
So I came home with the countdown started immediately. It was quite an agonizing 2-week wait; the thought of lying on the operating room table was enough to knock me off. What if I don’t wake up after the surgery? What if something goes wrong during the surgery? I worried for my family if I were gone; I have not washed my cars for the past months; I have not updated my iPOD for ages; I’m still yet to get back my Kompressor; I have not even switched on my phone for sometimes; I have bank loans to pay for my car and house… then again I remembered Woody Allen once said, “The key is not to think of death as an end, but as a very effective way to cut down on your expenses”.
Yeah I felt better already.
-HS
Funny thing was when I was first introduced to him by the cardiologist, he was always referred to as ‘Mr’ Pau; I had to double-check his name tag on his door to make sure he’s a real doctor! I was told later that surgeons are always referred to as Mr. Why? I have no idea.
During the half-hour consultation, I was again told that an open heart surgery was my best option. He was confident I would make it, although my risks are generally higher due to my heart failure condition. He went through about how he would cut through this and that, take this out and put that in here and there…. All I could hear was, ironically, my own heartbeats… When he finally stopped and looked at me in the eyes, and I presumed he had just asked me, “so how? Are you game?” I just said, “Ok. When can we do this?”
The doc opened his appointment book, and every page was filled with different patients’ names! He looked at me and said, “Earliest for a confirmed booking will be in 2 months’ time” I couldn’t possibly wait for another week! Not that I was too trilled to get into the operating theatre but the anxiety would kill me first! Probably my facial expression gave me away, he then suggested I checked into the hospital in 2 weeks’ time and he’d get me prepped and I would wait and on ‘stand-by’; anytime a patient not coming (whatever that means!!) or they found an empty OT they would slot me in. He assured me I would not need to wait too long this way.
So I came home with the countdown started immediately. It was quite an agonizing 2-week wait; the thought of lying on the operating room table was enough to knock me off. What if I don’t wake up after the surgery? What if something goes wrong during the surgery? I worried for my family if I were gone; I have not washed my cars for the past months; I have not updated my iPOD for ages; I’m still yet to get back my Kompressor; I have not even switched on my phone for sometimes; I have bank loans to pay for my car and house… then again I remembered Woody Allen once said, “The key is not to think of death as an end, but as a very effective way to cut down on your expenses”.
Yeah I felt better already.
-HS
Labels: My Brush With Life
posted by HS & SC at
11:26 PM
<< Home