Friday, July 03, 2015

Procedure


I was discharged from hospital at lunchtime today after a stay of less than 48 hours! The surgeon Dr Jason Wilkins, cleared the obstruction of the artery, which extended all the way from groin to knee, using catheters with balloons on the end to push the walls of the artery open, Several of the balloons burst, because the calcium deposits in the artery which let to its occlusion have jagged edges. I wonder if I should be taking calcium tablets, which are intended to remedy falling bone density, but haven't achieved that purpose.

The procedure took 90 minutes, and I had to lie still flat on my back for 3 hours afterwards, to allow the plug closing the perforation in the groin to access the artery to settle down.

The result is very satisfactory, because I no longer have pain in the leg at night or when walking, and with luck the artery should remain free of occlusions for the remaining estimated 12 months of my life. I'm going to start work again from Monday.

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