BlindFaith
Well-known member
Wednesday morning, September 23rd, 2009. I am in the backseat of my sisters Ford Focus, her and my wife up front and me in the back. We left at 6:30am for the 80-minute ride to Mass General. It was a very surreal ride. Sunny, with commuter traffic. I had my iPod with headphones on and in my own world. It felt like a movie hearing the music while watching the trees flying by all the while other cars all doing their own thing…. headed for their own destiny while I was headed for something I was very afraid of – yet calm and at peace as we drove in. I actually do not remember all of the details from the night before through to being totally knocked out.. The evening before, we visited the farm where my wife boards her horse… I just saw pictures that my sister sent yesterday with me walking the horse that night and I cannot remember it at all. Very, very weird actually… I guess I was ready.
I remember waking in ICU but struggling to breath. The nurse yelling, “Mr Ober, just go easy and breath…everything is fine” That was about 7pm Wed and they were in the process of taking out the breathing tube. I do not remember the feeling of the tube, just struggling to breath. Two other major images of the the ICU for the next 12 hours stick. I could not really see the nurse as I felt it was dark, but she was in the room the whole time. At times, an alarm would go off in back of me and the nurse would run, literally run to the spot… which scared the hell out of me each time. Turns out she just wanted to stop the sound quickly so that I would not wake up. Also, I must have had issues with nausea and making groaning noises… my nurse would put a cold cloth on my forehead. But what I remember was when she started, it felt like there was a never ending pile of cold faceclothes that were going on and coming off in seconds… actually a very good feeling. All of this was foggy.
So, surgery was about 4 hours and I was in ICU for just under 24 hours. I moved to the MGH Cardiac Step Down unit, Ellison 8 around 7pm on Thursday until I was discharged from there on Tuesday the 29th. All in all, not very bad at all. I could not sleep very well, never sleeping more than 2 hrs at one time. I was able to do everything needed, walking, eating, giving blood, etc.. I was delayed maybe a day in getting out because I had several episodes of Atrial Fibrilation (afib) that they checked out thoroughly. Anyway, I certainly felt special as I my cadilogist (Dr. Liberthson) stopped to see me every morning (6-730a) and then every evening before he went home. My surgeon (Mr MacGillivary) stopped in at least once everyday and the floor team (headed my Dr M’s lead surgeon, Dr Clark) was in everyday. Other than sleeping, I could not complain about anything.
Today, 2 weeks after the surgery, I walked 2.5 miles with my wife.
I remember waking in ICU but struggling to breath. The nurse yelling, “Mr Ober, just go easy and breath…everything is fine” That was about 7pm Wed and they were in the process of taking out the breathing tube. I do not remember the feeling of the tube, just struggling to breath. Two other major images of the the ICU for the next 12 hours stick. I could not really see the nurse as I felt it was dark, but she was in the room the whole time. At times, an alarm would go off in back of me and the nurse would run, literally run to the spot… which scared the hell out of me each time. Turns out she just wanted to stop the sound quickly so that I would not wake up. Also, I must have had issues with nausea and making groaning noises… my nurse would put a cold cloth on my forehead. But what I remember was when she started, it felt like there was a never ending pile of cold faceclothes that were going on and coming off in seconds… actually a very good feeling. All of this was foggy.
So, surgery was about 4 hours and I was in ICU for just under 24 hours. I moved to the MGH Cardiac Step Down unit, Ellison 8 around 7pm on Thursday until I was discharged from there on Tuesday the 29th. All in all, not very bad at all. I could not sleep very well, never sleeping more than 2 hrs at one time. I was able to do everything needed, walking, eating, giving blood, etc.. I was delayed maybe a day in getting out because I had several episodes of Atrial Fibrilation (afib) that they checked out thoroughly. Anyway, I certainly felt special as I my cadilogist (Dr. Liberthson) stopped to see me every morning (6-730a) and then every evening before he went home. My surgeon (Mr MacGillivary) stopped in at least once everyday and the floor team (headed my Dr M’s lead surgeon, Dr Clark) was in everyday. Other than sleeping, I could not complain about anything.
Today, 2 weeks after the surgery, I walked 2.5 miles with my wife.
