Thank you all for you support over the last month

I would like to thank you all for you support over the last month.

A very saintly Og celebrating 52nd birthday
[Photo: Somerled]

I had just celebrated my 52nd birthday and was all set to go to the footy, Hawthorn (Hawks) vs Essendon (Dons), at the 'G' that Saturday but on Friday I started getting prolonged chest pain and felt really crappy.

An ambulance trip and 16 hours later, now Saturday morning, still in Emergency, I was determined to get dressed, discharge myself and go to the footy. It was my birthday match with my boys, Merls & Somerled. I barrack for the Hawks and they barrack for the Dons so it is a bit of an institution.

Anyway young Dr Nick was on the floor and with a bed found and bit of cajoling I was convinced it was in my best interests to stay in for at least 2 days to see what was happening.

2 days became nearly 3 weeks! It was decided that I was too ill to be sent home so the long awaited bypass would be done while I was in there.

Once I knew things were happening I was quite content to be there. Those who know me know how bad a patient I can be. I was even amazed how good I was myself!

I also think the saving grace was having the mobile phone (text, calls, email & internet) but I haven't got the bill yet!

I am ready for the long awaited heart bypass
[Photo: Somerled]

Also, my affairs had to be got in order and this brought forth the realisation that my boys had grown up. That if the worse came to the worst they would be OK. I think it has changed our relationship and brought us much closer together.

On the 2nd Tuesday in I had the bypass (quadruple plus 1) done. Things went really well with the operation being successfully completed in a lot less than the allocated time.

It had been expected to be complicated becasue of my kidney failure and I was on dialysis for the whole operation and more than 24 hours after to keep me stable.

I was surprised how well I was travelling and how little it hurt, but I think it may have just been the juice going into my veins. More please?

The weird part was how racy my mind was and this with little or no sleep for days, I was going quite crazy and this made me a worse motor mouth than normal. OK guys, it's not just me, apparently this is quite normal after a bypass.

After another week or so in hospital, tests, dialysis, physio etc and I was ready to go home. I was really starting to feel like I had been hit by a truck and am still aching quite a bit now. I finally getting back into a normal sleep pattern and the brain seems to be coming back to normal.

All went well, I am recovering at home, truly on the mend and back where I can reminisce over past adventures and look forward to future ones
[Photo: Somerled]

I have to take things very easy for the first 6 weeks, not even allowed to drive, then careful till the end of 3 months and nothing really strenuous till the end of 6 months.

It is amazing to come through this. These surgeons and the whole team are pretty amazing. I am grateful and cannot thank them enough for this.

I also really appreciated the support from my friends and family, but the one person I would really like to thank is Toosh. She kept the home fires burning. Everything was done from my washing to running around after my wants and needs.

I think this whole event has brought us closer again. Not back to where we were, but a really nice in between space where we seem to be really enjoy one another's existence. I am not sure where it will take us, but I am glad to be there.

[Og Bear]