Day 6 - Post Maze - Home at last!

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Posted by Henry Alken on October 23, 2001 at 13:01:56:

Early in the morning, a nurse came by and quickly removed the various pacemaker wires. Didn't hurt a bit!

Dr Hammer came by and discharged me. He was very pleased the way everything had worked out. He put me back on the Rythmol and Toprol I was on when I arrived at the hospital. He said these will be removed after three months.

He added two new drugs: Nexium (for 40 days only, then stop) and Aldactone.

I am no longer on Coumadin, but I must take a Coated Aspirin, 325mg every day.

He also wrote a prescription for Darvacetl for pain. I filled this prescription before I left the Clinic, since prescriptions for pain meds cannot be filled in another state, only in the state of issue. I doubt I will ever use it since I haven't had any pain since leaving the ICU.

My older daughter, Marianne, got me organized, checked out and to the airport somehow.

My younger daughter, Rose, met me at Philadelphia airport.

A very happy day!

It is strange to get up out of a chair and not have to hold the wall because of dizzyness.

I finally found a ruler to measure the Minimal Maze III scar. It is 5.25 inches. Sorry about the previous erroneous estimates.

For those thinking of having a Maze:
For me, this operation was no where near as painful, disabling and crippling that I thought it would be. My fears were far worse than the reality. No one, who could benefit from a Maze, should hold back because of fear of the procedure. Dr McCarthy, the surgeon, is a quiet, very intelligent, serious, precise man who performs heart lung transplants. For him, a Maze operation is a straight-forward procedure he has done hundreds of times faultlessly.

The Clinic itself is a marvel of efficiency and excellence. The Clinic is rightfully proud that, for seven years running, it has been voted the top hospital in the U.S for heart problems, by US News and World Report. They are anxiously awaiting the result of this year's vote. Arabs fly in to Cleveland and take over three or four floors of the Clinic's hotel. They have the money to afford the best. They choose to take the long 28 hour flight from the Middle East to Cleveland.

Good health to everyone and many thanks to Jack, Carl, Ed and all the other well wishers. Their phone calls and emails made the experience much more bearable.

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