After a hospital weekend that seemed to move at the speed of a glacier, today my room was abuzz with activity. I met with my surgeon’s research assistants, and later with them again along with the surgeon. I had a dentist come to me to take some dental X-rays in my room (her evaluation is part of the pre-surgery clearance process), another nursing assistant, a social worker, and a discharge nurse. I hardly had time to turn around. Then, mid-afternoon, I was paroled and released on my own recognizance. After stopping by the lab to have some more blood drawn for typing and cross-match, my son ferried me to his apartment in Logan Square, where I am now holed up (more or less) until I report for surgery on Thursday morning. As long as I’m sedentary, I feel fine. When I do even a moderate amount of slow walking, I experience what my cardiologist here helpfully refers to as “chest awareness.” I am so grateful I found this condition when I did, and that there is a way to correct it.
