An interesting 24 hours

Very few recoveries from surgical intrusions go perfectly. There is always some complication in some way, shape or form.

So, when a blood clot developed near the spot where my stents were inserted, I wasn't too concerned. I would be a bit inconvenienced but we would simply find the right kind of medications to handle the problem and move on.

Guess again.

The adventure started when I went in for what I thought was a routine ultrasound at my cardiologist's office. What was supposed to be a 10-15 minute procedure started to go bit long. Tracy, the woman running the machine, looked puzzled. Eventually, she called a doctor from St. Joe's. He came in, looked at the results and scratched his head a few times.

This is never a re-assuring trend. They were looking for a PSA - an aneurysm - but what they saw didn't look like a PSA.

There were several hushed conversations while I lay on my back, wondering what the hell was going on.

The cardiologist, who, at times, has the air of an absent-minded professor, came in to give his view. His view was he didn't like what he was seeing and was sending me back to St. Joe's. "We'll find who the vascular surgeon is today and get you in to see him." He added what happened to me occurs in less than one percent on of all stent cases. That is not how I wanted to be unique.

Instead of going home, I felt like I was going to prison.

And we were just getting warmed up.

At St Joe's, they quickly checked me in. A half hour later, Dr. Miller came in for a looksee. I am told he is one of the best around in this field. He took one look and said, "We have you scheduled for surgery tomorrow but I think we can handle this right now."

In conversation, he told me he was a St. John's grad. When I told him I was a UST grad, he smiled. "Placebo, please," he said to a young nurse named Dani, who had simply been entering my info on a computer and had been pressed into service as an emergency assistant.

Next thing I knew, Dr. Miller was poking, scraping and cutting at the infected area. A couple of times, he paused to warn me this "might" hurt.

"Might" was right in this case. The procedure didn't take long but it was intense.

Dr. Miller packed the area tightly, said he thought this might work out alright and went home.

So, right about the time I thought I was going to be heading to work a bb game, I was stuck in a hospital bed, getting dressings changed every 2 hours or so. Dr. Miller had said this would be the case but eventually things might start clotting.

It has never occurred to me blood clots could be a good thing but medicine is a mysterious thing at times.

To be safe, Dr. Miller kept the original surgery on the calendar. But the cardiologist just came in to say there will be no surgery today for sure. That's good news in one way - means I can finally eat something. But I still don't know where I stand (or don't stand.)

In theory, my odd day had one good by-product. By all reports, it is absolutely miserable outside with snow and wind flailing all over the place. So, while people are freezing their butts off and struggling to drive, I am warm, safe, sound and indoors.

But a little part of me (the part that isn't covered in blood) is really looking forward to getting back to be a part of such weather.