h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, I did the good samaritan thing tonight, and invited a friend who'd had one too many pints to hang out. It's now 3:30 in the morning, and in addition to making sure he was sober enough to drive home, I've discovered that he's a newly diagnosed, unmedicated schizophrenic.

A bit disturbing, that.

>I bought a Ford Focus<

Can't fault that decision, GDZ. Our current car is a Focus, so was the last one, the next one will be also.

I don't know much about schizophrenia, MR but that does sound a bit

Hello, all. I had my appointment with the surgeon yesterday. In a nutshell, both arteries to/from my heart are quite calcified and therefore narrowed and my replacement valve is leaking (which we already knew. He is going to undo and re-do the repairs that were made when I was three.

(Transposition of the great arteries, mending of ventricular septal defect and replacement of valve on left side, if medical terms mean anything to anyone. If not, the translation is that my arteries were the wrong way round and had to be re-plumbed, they also had to mend a hole-in-the-heart between the two ventricles and replace the valve on the left side where they had to put in tubing to create an bit of an artery because of it having been on the wrong side. It's a lot easier to explain with a diagram, sorry!)

Obviously he won't have to re-route the arteries again, but he will need to re-do everything else.

He thinks it should be done within the next 5 months, as I am now on the waiting list.

Needless to say, I'm a bit apprehensive. (That may well be an understatement!) It's a bit more serious than I was expecting it to be. The surgeon was quite honest about the difficulty of the surgery and seems like a decent chap, which is something.

On a more positive note, if they do the surgery now I shouldn't have to have anything so complicated done again. They will probably need to replace the valve again within 10-15 years, but the surgeon thinks that by then it will be able to be done by keyhole surgery and it's already a fairly routine opertation. It's amazing that we can say that! The wonders of advances in medicine.

Apologies for the length of this post! anyone?

Pops back to put in a ).

Hope the new car is good. I think Ford Focuses are supposed to be good, but my brother is the real expert - I really have no idea about cars!

I've almost bought all my Christmas presents, apart from my grandad's and someone else's that doesn't look like it's going to arrive before Christmas - but at least I ordered it...

LP, that surgery sounds pretty darned scary, but they do so many procedures like that these days that it is safer than it sounds. F had 3 open heart surgeries, so I actually do understand exactly what they're going to do. I'm sorry you're going to have to go through it. Not pleasant, no matter how they try to spin it.

Congrats on the car, Zomnker. I'm glad you have wheels again.

Schizophrenia. Hope your friend's isn't the paranoid variety, MR. That's quite a trip. He so shouldn't be drinking.

We have no snow yet, but the sky is very gray. I hope it has tracked north of us rather than just moving slower than expected. They have extended the winter storm warnings until 6PM.

*gawps at LP*

You say all that with such nonchalance, I am awed.

*respect* fist to fist

I do hope it all passes without a hitch, you heal well and the op is very soon.

<<< a couple of Christmas presents for you.

*pulling on fleece-lined post-office boots*

Dang, LP, I admire your bravery. I would be gibbering.

GDZ, congratulations on the car purchase.

I to admire your bravery LP, puts a lot of things into perspective.

*forces a rogue "o" into his last post*

Thanks, all. I hate to tell you this, but if I think about it too much I *do* feel gibberish! No bravery here, not really.

Heart surgery gives me the willies. I'm sure everything will go well, LP. I just don't like blood.

for the very brave LP. Bravery does not consist of not feeling gibbering. Bravery consists in feeling gibbering and managing to carry on, function, talk to your friends, and generally have a life in the face of something that makes you gibber. Also, in having gibbering moments and picking yourself up and dusting yoruself off afterwards, and carrying on again. There is nothing brave in feeling no fear at all in the first place. The person who is petrified of spiders but who manages to pick one up with a glass and a sheet of paper and put it outside is braver than the trapeze artist who has never been in the least bothered by heights.

Yup. Ag's hit the nail on the head there... anyone who tells you that bravery is the absence of fear is either a fool or a liar. Bravery is having the fear but going ahead anyway.

Actually that is quite true, the definition of bravery is not the absence of fear but acting while fearful. LP, you can always talk about how you are feeling on here.
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Talking about fleece lined boots, where are the ones I ordered on 30th? I know it is Christmas and things are slower but should have been here by now so I might ring them Monday.

LP

LP, that's major. And I admire your bravery as well. And I second (third? fourth?) the idea that bravery is being scared out of your wits and getting on with it, anyway.

My friend is having a very rough time. His parents are trying to be "helpful" but just making things worse. And it doesn't help that as a former drug addict, he rather likes the hallucinations. But I do think I will limit my contact with him for a bit, just for safety reasons.

[Bagpuss]

for LP - I hope you can get it done sooner.

for LP. Good luck. I hope you're ok for the whole business. Are you going to Papworth? I've heard nothing but good about them from ex patients.

I think I may have the least relaxing Chrismas ever. I'm completing on the house I'm buying on Thursday (21st) and then I've got the weekend off, and Christmas day but working til 10pm on Christmas eve, and then working Boxing day as well. Not sure when I'm actually going to move. I have the flat for another month. But I have already found a lodger (yehay!) a lovely girl from work who knows my messiness and is willing to give me money. Which will at least mean I can afford the the both and to eat as well.

*watches her most recent paycheck dissolve into xmas gifts and isn't too bothered about it*