The Day After Surgery

I spent about 12 hours at St. Joseph Hospital yesterday, July 1, undergoing a cardiac ablation. Heart disease is part of my family's history. My father died at the age of 29 of a heart attack, and his mother, my grandmother, died at the age of 57 after a long struggle with congestive heart failure. Many cousins on the "Curran" side of the family have also succumbed to heart attacks. While I struggle with many health issues, up until now the heart has not been an issue for me.

As I wrote earlier, while being hospitalized for a UTI in February, I was told that I was suffering from atrial flutter or something similar with a name that I cannot remember (it began with an H). After wearing a heart monitor for a month, I was told that I needed the cardiac ablation to synchronize the upper and lower chambers of my heart.

The procedure was done through my femoral veins. I was released from the hospital at around 6 o'clock last night having arrived at 7 o'clock in the morning. Both my father and grandmother died in the 1950s. Who would have thought that a heart procedure could be done on an outpatient basis. I am really amazed.

While I am a little sore and black and blue all over (three IVs and puncturing both femoral veins), I have to admit that I feel fairly well this evening. The staff at the hospital was very cordial and helpful. It also helped to have Brother Donald Lachowicz with me throughout the day. Brother Donald is a former student of mine, was a novice while I was assistant novice master, and lived in the fiery in Cicero while attending the local community college to become a registered nurse.

I am grateful to all who worked with me yesterday.