Good News
A bit of good fortune came my way. During yesterday’s video consolation with a Houston doctor, I was told I didn’t require surgery. My aneurysm was only 5 cm, not 6. I was stunned. My mind was so firmly fixed on surgery that I thought he’d made a mistake. But no, he drew me pictures, had diagrams, and showed me how he measured it. And he has credentials. He’s published, he teaches at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, and he’s the Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at a major Houston hospital. So, he’s seen an aneurysm of two. He looked at my CT scan, measured it himself, and gave me the results.
Getting the doctor’s name was total serendipity. A friend of mine, who is only a casual reader of my blog, happened to see my picture Monday with both arms bandaged and wondered what was up. He read the story and sent me the name of the doctor who had cared for his son several years back, and also operated on the husband of another friend. I called the doctor’s office, got an appointment, and very nearly cancelled it yesterday morning because I thought I was wasting the time of an important man. Turns out I was wrong. He gave me his time and spared me a surgery. Now, I may need surgery down the road, but there’s no rush, and not now. I still have to be careful, no lifting heavy things, but I can hike and play golf and continue to enjoy life.
And I think this is one of the cases where prayers were definitely answered, and I was healed by someone who had his eyes open and took the time to care. So, thanks for all the good wishes and prayers. They were answered, just not in the way we expected. And I guess it goes to show why second and third opinions are necessary. I was simply looking for the best surgical option and boy did I get one. I don’t need surgery. Right now, I’m down on my knees saying thanks and trying to figure out why I received such a blessing.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale