Sunday, February 13, 2011
What would you like to hear about?
e mail me, and I'll write about it. Please make it heart surgery related. I will start writing about the many things that I think every patient should know, and day to day things that happen, but if anyone wants some specific information, just comment here, or e mail me, and I'll write something specifically. You may be in a rush and need the information fast. Other than that, I'll probably ramble around like a Toquerville quail.
Heart surgery, anyone?
I decided to blog here in addition to my website at http://www.cabgbypasssurgery.com/ so as to reach as many people as possible. This includes patients, and friends and family of patients. They all will play a part in this huge dramatic event.
Heart surgery is a monumental event in anyone's life. To me, it's about the biggest thing you will do. I'll use this analogy: it's bigger than going on a trip to China. And I think that before anyone spent the time and money and effort to go on a trip to China, that they would like to read up on what to expect, what to avoid, things to do, things not to do, ways to avoid problems, how to prepare, things like that. I know I certainly would. I bought a book about Kauai before I went there, and it was the best $10 I ever spent. I would have bought a guide to heart surgery had I found one I liked in June, 2002, when I had surgery.
The reason I started blogging, then writing the book SURVIVAL GUIDE TO HEART SURGERY for patients and caregivers, was that I wasn't given a lot of information about my surgery. My wife had a colonoscopy last year, and she had to attend a two hour class. I got less information and instruction than that for a nearly nine hour surgery, eight day stay in the hospital, and months of recovery. No, make that years. If you would like, go to my site, http://www.cabgbypasssurgery.com/ and read all of the posts there on various subjects. If you would like to purchase a downloadable book, you can do so there. We are publishing the book very soon, so hardbacked versions, as well as amazon and kindle versions will be available for all readers. I will have t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, pillows, and other gift items available within the next six months.
My book and my blogs are not nearly as deep and technically complicated as others that are on the Internet. I intentionally did not want to go deeply into medical terminology, instructions, or advice, because I believe that is between you and your doctor. I am no doctor, and don't want to even imitate one. I also think that patients are already on overload just from the thought of surgery, and all they need are the bare facts on how to prepare, what is going to happen, and ideas on how to deal with the situations that arise. Were I to explain it in medical terms, I think a lot of people would just get lost. If you do have a medical or technical bent, by all means google to your heart's content, even watch movies of surgeries.
There are some common threads to all the surgical experiences, and that is what I want to focus on, and not every little procedure that you may never ever have to undergo. I want to write about the personal side of the experience rather than the technical side.
My experience was to eat the apple one bite at a time rather than try to swallow the whole thing. The whole experience is a timeline, and things that might be an issue six months or a year down the line are not something that you need to heap on your already frightened overloaded brain. And not everyone has the same operation, the same reactions, the same pain levels, the same complications, etc, and to read all about all of that is just unnecessary and adds to the stress. By visiting my site http://www.cabgbypasssurgery.com/ you can read about just the segments that you are in right now, or are coming up. There are several youtube presentations where I state the content verbally, making it easy if you are a better listener than reader.
Heart surgery is a monumental event in anyone's life. To me, it's about the biggest thing you will do. I'll use this analogy: it's bigger than going on a trip to China. And I think that before anyone spent the time and money and effort to go on a trip to China, that they would like to read up on what to expect, what to avoid, things to do, things not to do, ways to avoid problems, how to prepare, things like that. I know I certainly would. I bought a book about Kauai before I went there, and it was the best $10 I ever spent. I would have bought a guide to heart surgery had I found one I liked in June, 2002, when I had surgery.
The reason I started blogging, then writing the book SURVIVAL GUIDE TO HEART SURGERY for patients and caregivers, was that I wasn't given a lot of information about my surgery. My wife had a colonoscopy last year, and she had to attend a two hour class. I got less information and instruction than that for a nearly nine hour surgery, eight day stay in the hospital, and months of recovery. No, make that years. If you would like, go to my site, http://www.cabgbypasssurgery.com/ and read all of the posts there on various subjects. If you would like to purchase a downloadable book, you can do so there. We are publishing the book very soon, so hardbacked versions, as well as amazon and kindle versions will be available for all readers. I will have t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, pillows, and other gift items available within the next six months.
My book and my blogs are not nearly as deep and technically complicated as others that are on the Internet. I intentionally did not want to go deeply into medical terminology, instructions, or advice, because I believe that is between you and your doctor. I am no doctor, and don't want to even imitate one. I also think that patients are already on overload just from the thought of surgery, and all they need are the bare facts on how to prepare, what is going to happen, and ideas on how to deal with the situations that arise. Were I to explain it in medical terms, I think a lot of people would just get lost. If you do have a medical or technical bent, by all means google to your heart's content, even watch movies of surgeries.
There are some common threads to all the surgical experiences, and that is what I want to focus on, and not every little procedure that you may never ever have to undergo. I want to write about the personal side of the experience rather than the technical side.
My experience was to eat the apple one bite at a time rather than try to swallow the whole thing. The whole experience is a timeline, and things that might be an issue six months or a year down the line are not something that you need to heap on your already frightened overloaded brain. And not everyone has the same operation, the same reactions, the same pain levels, the same complications, etc, and to read all about all of that is just unnecessary and adds to the stress. By visiting my site http://www.cabgbypasssurgery.com/ you can read about just the segments that you are in right now, or are coming up. There are several youtube presentations where I state the content verbally, making it easy if you are a better listener than reader.
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