This is Part 3 of my notes about my recent open heart surgery. To read what has come before use these links: Part 1 Part 2
So I’ve been writing these notes to remember and understand what I experienced when I had quadruple bypass open heart surgery. I last left off the night before surgery having worked all day Wednesday to let go and surrender the whole thing to God. I decided I was going to go through with the surgery, and if I survived I would soldier through the pain and aftermath on the road to recovery. Now it was early Thursday morning. They had started around 3 am getting me ready. I had to take two showers the night before. They took vitals every hour and gave me meds. Or course there was no food or liquid after midnight. And before I knew it I was on a bed rolling down the hospital hallways heading for the surgery center.
“Good morning Mr. Gluck, how are you doing?” The lady surgeon who was going to operate on me was happy and bubbly, ready to begin. “I’m okay” I said. “But the question isn’t how am I doing, but how are YOU doing? Did you get a good night’s sleep? Was breakfast good? Are you feeling good?” At this point her team members were quiet and she laughed “I’m good” she said.
I know I was about to go under the anesthesia, so how I was doing was pretty irrelevant. She was the one who needed steady hands, a quiet mood, and total concentration. I also wanted her to know my belief that she would be having some help this morning. “I know you are an excellent surgeon, very skilled and capable to do my surgery. Your reputation tells me you are one of the best at doing what you do. But I also want to say that according to my faith your hands will be guided by God’s hands today. And you are supported with a lot of prayer.”
“I can use all the prayer I can get” she said. And I assured her there were a lot of faithful people praying this morning that this surgery will go well. By now her team was milling about again and smiling. I remember the operating room was like being in a freezer. I wondered how they could work in there without winter coats. And without much ado a mask was slipped over my face and I lost consciousness to the anesthesia.
The surgery lasted over 4 hours. As part of the process my heart quit beating for about 45 minutes, I was on a heart/lung life support system. Recovery took me about another 4 hours before I became aware again. I awoke to with my wife’s hand in mine. And there was incredible pain. I had a breathing tube still down my throat. For frantic minutes I communicated with my wife through her hand I was holding and facial expressions. She understood precisely. “Get the tube out of me!”
The hour that followed was complete overload in my mind, and complete pain in my body. I was entirely relieved to be alive and holding my wife’s hand. I was now tasked with my commitment to soldier through the pain. And there were so many questions swirling through my mind. In it all there was an incredible rush of gratefulness: I was alive. Thank you God!
Now I was being transferred to the ICU to get through the next few hours. I will continue writing in the next post about this unforgettable journey.