The Medical Plan

Around 10 p.m., Monday, February 28, 2022: Here's the plan, which could change.

I am staying overnight at Boca Raton Regional Hospital because I require yet another lung test that is only conducted here on Tuesdays and Fridays. I am expecting to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, go home, and then return to the hospital either Thursday or Friday (March 3 or 4) to have coronary artery bypass surgery (4 or 5 bypasses). I require lung testing as a precaution in anticipation of serious complications during my open-heart surgery.

I arrived at the hospital emergency room this morning with shortness of breath, chest soreness, and overall weakness, as per my cardiothoracic surgeon and his assistant. They told me during our recent consultation to go to the emergency room today to be tested. So, today, I had various heart and lung tests throughout the day: an EKG, a chest X-ray, and (as of this post) three blood extractions. One of the tests was quite painful, requiring blood extraction from my right wrist to evaluate my blood-oxygen level.

My cardiothoracic surgeon and my cardiologist both visited me today at the hospital.

Various factors may complicate my heart surgery: asthma, diabetes, kidney failure (last year, with 6 weeks of dialysis), congestive heart failure (last year), and a recent heart attack. Throughout last year, I was hospitalized seven times, including a thoracentesis of my right lung, three of four surgeries on my left foot (osteomyelitis and tumor removal), a covid infection, pneumonia twice, dangerously low hemoglobin levels, dangerously low white-blood-cell count, and intensive testing for a possible TIA (mini-stroke), which I didn't have. I started my series of hospital visits in December 2020 with dangerously low potassium levels and dehydration.

In the future, I may need to have a pacemaker or a defibrillator installed.

Yes, I am bragging about my recent medical exploits. I really am fortunate and blessed to be still alive, and I am not feeling half bad. I used to find it strange when someone would call themself "a survivor" in regard to medical difficulties. That is until I caught myself calling myself "a survivor." Oops.

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February 28, 2022: I have been admitted to Boca Raton Regional Hospital and am settled in my room. Results of preliminary testing of my heart and lungs (EKG, blood extraction, X-ray) are good. I am also hooked up to a heart monitor.

I just had a rather painful lung test: blood extraction from my right wrist to check my oxygenation level. I am expecting to have another lung test either today or tomorrow. As for my upcoming coronary artery bypass surgery (4 or 5 bypasses), I will either be sent home after testing and return on March 3 (I think, or March 4) for surgery, or I will stay here and have the surgery date moved up.