About, and from, the Heart
Google Image “Sooooo, you had excruciating pain in your chest and abdomen. “We think you had a myocardial infarction (sounding like something for which you should at least say “excuse me.”) Tests show that you have blocked arteries. We want to do a c oronary artery bypass graft .” The most intelligent thing I can think of to say is “huh?” You can’t say what you’re thinking: “Oh, this is going to hurt.” “Yes,” they continue, “we cut open your chest, hook up your heart to a machine to keep it pumping, take blood vessels from your leg, and use them to make a bypass around the blocked artery or arteries.” Open My Chest? “Wait,” I say, “you’re going to cut open my chest? What do you do about my breastbone?” “Oh, we saw right through that.” Like that makes me feel better. I’m picturing surgeons going to Home Depot and looking over the latest Poulan or Milwaukee saws and trying them out on a tree in their back yard. I had what most of us call one or more heart atta...