I posted a couple days ago about my dad's impending bypass surgery.
Although cardiac bypass operations are somewhat commonplace, they should never be considered 'routine.'
Just over a year ago, I was making a 'routine' left-hand turn and got plowed into by an oncoming vehicle. Lesson learned? Pay attention to what's happening, and don't take things for granted.
The surgery started early this morning, and my brother-in-law, Shawn Smith has been keeping the rest of us updated via e-mail.
The latest news is that dad's surgery was successful and he's now in recovery. I understand that four bypass grafts were done using donor veins from other locations on his body. When I stop to think about it, that's a pretty intense procedure! I cannot imagine the dexterity and skill needed to graft veins onto heart arteries, especially because access comes only through an opening in the rib cage. The closest comparison I can come up with is TIG welding, which requires good manual dexterity but is still a far cry from cardiac surgery.
Do I believe that doctors and surgeons should be well-paid? You betcha!