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I Had A Heart Attack — Part 3

Today is open-heart surgery day.

Michael Trigg
5 min readNov 16, 2021
Photo by Olga Kononenko on Unsplash

October 6th. It is 4 hours until surgery. I have had no food since midnight and none expected for the next two days, nutrition being provided through an IV. I have read through the handbook the hospital provided on what is expected both during and after surgery. Also, all the do’s and don’t’s during recovery are covered. There are many don’t’s.

My blood pressure was elevated this morning probably due to a to-be-expected anxiety level. Open heart surgery is not for the faint-hearted. Or for the squeamish. Oh. Click on the links if you missed Part One and Part Two.

I am going through all the pre-op checks right now with nurses buzzing around and all kinds of electronic machines wheezing, beeping, and clicking. My mother was a registered nurse during World War 2 and no doubt would be amazed at the technology that is such an integral part of the modern hospital. Computers rule.

Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash

The nurse has advised there is some concern about my blood pressure and so will be providing a nitroglycerin patch and a pill to lower it before surgery. I assume this lowers the risk of blood spatters. Sorry, just my weird…

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Michael Trigg
Michael Trigg

Written by Michael Trigg

A “Jack of all Trades” and master of some: Mechanic, Writer, Sales Rep, TV producer, Management, Insurance Agent, Consultant www.handshakeconsultants.com

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