And another wave to be expected from the Netherlands. I'll be up from 6 AM
anyway.
Wiliam
-----Original Message-----
From: SwissPace [mailto:ian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: zaterdag 21 januari 2012 8:51
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] (OT) Need that Positive Energy Again
I am onto it, theres a big wave coming over from Switzerland.
Sent while mobile
On 20 Jan 2012, at 18:40, Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Well, once again the call goes out for prayers, positive energy, good
thoughts, etc., for No. 2 Son, Benjamin, who will be admitted to the Maine
Medical Center on Sunday, and on Monday will undergo an aerobic valve
replacement.
>
> You may recall back in December 2010 when Ben suffered congestive heart
failure and we almost lost him. Your positive energy was much appreciated at
the time. though the past year he has shown slow and steady improvement in
his heart function, to the point where now his cardiologist and cardiac
surgeon believe he's well enough to undergo the surgery. We've got a real
cracker-jack of a surgeon, so there are no worries in that department.
>
> The plan is a Ross Procedure, which is where the surgeon replaces the
aerobic valve with the patient's pulmonary valve, and then replaces the
pulmonary valve with either a cadaver valve or an animal valve. The benefit
of the Ross Procedure is that the patient does not require blood thinners,
as would be the case with an artificial valve. The surgeon did warn us,
however, that once he gets in, he may have to fall back to an artificial
valve if Ben's pulmonary valve doesn't seem a likely candidate for moving.
In that case, he plans to use an experimental (in the US) On-X valve (which
has been approved for use in other parts of the world for a _long_ time).
The benefit of the On-X valve is that Ben will need Plavix rather than
Coumadin.
>
> We were amazed that they typical hospital stay for this surgery is 4-5
days. Who'd-a-thunk? And, if you're interested, the Ross Procedure is the
subject of a series of YouTube videos under the auspices of the Cleveland
Clinic. I was astonished as I watched the operation (severely condensed) at
how capable and confident the surgeons were. Ben's family practice doctor,
who was in the Air Force before setting up private practice, calls it
"Fighter Pilot Mentality." (Go, Chris!) He says these types of surgeons are
like fighter pilots: they're so well trained and so confident that it never
occurs to them that they can't do it, and they are extremely capable of
reacting to any contingency. After viewing the video, I believe it. <g>
>
> The issue, other than standard dangers of this type of surgery, is that
Ben, who has autism and mental retardation, doesn't understand what needs to
be done. He has no incentive to cooperate. Fortunately, the surgeon has done
this operation on children and other mentally handicapped individuals, so
he's confident that he and the hospital staff can manage any issues that
arise. To date the staff has been most compassionate and helpful, and has
kept in touch to keep us apprised of their plans. For example, contrary to
policy, Ben should get a room by himself so as not to cause some other poor
soul to suffer loud outbursts, etc. They've also worked with us to
streamline the admission process on Sunday so has to minimize anxiety
provoking incidents that come with waiting around for clerical details to be
ironed out.
>
> At any rate, I'm planning to take a laptop with me next week, and good
lord willin' and the crick don't rise, will be on and off, messing around
with stuff, including this list.
>
> But in the event I'm not, have a happy thought for Ben on
Monday--particularly you UK and Continent types, who can get the positive
energy flowing while Ben's still asleep. <g> At the moment, the surgery is
scheduled for 6:15 a.m., but he could be bumped until later in the day for
any of a number of reasons, mostly having to do with patients in more acute
distress.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> --Bob
>
>
>
>
> --
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