Diagnosis

(Page 6)

The Ongoing Tests

After the Angiogram at Vancouver General Hospital, I returned to Lions Gate Hospital waiting for my operation date. Because of my condition — and partly because of my hospital stay — my operation was expedited, with the exact date to be determined. Lions Gate Hospital did not have the facility to perform open-heart surgery, so routine tests were performed while I waited for that premium bed space at VGH.

This was my first prolonged stay at a hospital, and for the most part, I would have to rate it as: Excellent. Everyone was attentive, kind, and helpful, with my only gripe being the ECG holster monitor attached to me 24/7. It was a hand-held device suspended from my neck that dangled at my side as if it has a life of its own. The monitor was essentially an electrocardiography device that allowed medical staff to continuously monitor my heart abnormalities.

It seemed like an over-kill based on how I was feeling, but I very much appreciated the ‘better safe than sorry’ approach from the staff.

During my LGH stay I would be subjected to more tests, x-Rays, and CT Scans, with the early morning (and I mean early morning) ECG readings being my pet-peeve. At the crack of dawn a nurse would attach multiple sticky-pad terminals to my chest and legs, take the twenty second reading, and then rip the sticky pads off my body along with a clump of hair, each and every time. This daily routine went on for days until I got wise and shaved my chest. From then on, it was smooth sailing, as they say...

Despite being prodded, poked, and tested, I have nothing but fond memories from LGH, not only because of the attentive staff, but also because of my periodic visits from family and friends. There were lots of ‘get well soon’ wishes, but in-between there was also confusion as to why someone my age would be in such a predicament. And it was understandable. Everyone around me was waiting for a triple or quadruple bypass, they were much older, unable to walk the length of the room, and much more docile. Me on the other hand, well, I was bouncing off the walls. I honestly felt great, and despite all the precautions the staff were taking, it felt like I could run the 5K marathon without missing a beat. Unfortunately, the reality was that my valve and dilated ascending aorta would disagree, and therefore I had some tough questions to consider.

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