surprise

Well, I came in Thursday for an angioplasty and maybe a stent. But, no stent. Instead, they said I need bypass surgery. So I've been cooling my heels in a private room in the cardiac surgery unit, which will be my recovery room after the operation tomorrow, playing with my laptop, iPod Touch, cell phone, and Kindle, thinking positive thoughts. My friends on Facebook, which include more than a hundred real friends and relatives, have sent me all sorts of positive vibes.

When my father was the same age I am now, he had bypass surgery in the same hospital where I am now. That was in 1978. He did well and he lived another 17 years after that, to see his granchildren grow from infants to soccer players. I'll never forget the night before his surgery. I was scared to death but he was as calm as he could be. He didn't fear death and he had utmost confidence in the doctors. The doctors know even more today than they did then, and this hospital is rated among the top 100 in the country for heart surgery. I don't fear death, I also have confidence in the doctors, and all I really want is to get it over with!