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

Mrs G's father, Big Ben, has been unwell since before Christmas. He got really bad in January and was taken into hospital. Last Tuesday, he had a big heart operation: they opened it up and repaired a faulty heart valve. While they were at it, they did a triple bypass operation as well.

He had his stitches taken out today, and is doing nicely. Next week he'll be going into a nursing home to recuperate. Our house has been in chaos for the last month as everything stopped while the father-in-law was in hospital. And of course in the middle of it all, we had to mind the two Chinese girls who didn't speak any English.

Good to hear it. Up to this has he been fairly independent?

"everything stopped while the father-in-law was in hospital"

I have to say I think it's a bit much making your FIL do everything! Still, he'll be back in a few months and you can all put your feet up again.



I hope he recovers well.

It's really wonderful what they can do for hearts and blood pressure now. Good wishes to Big Ben.

Yeah...hearts used to be complicated. Nowadays they can whip 'em out and stick a new one in with nary a bother. Best of luck to him.

Best wishes for Big Ben!

Dear Gnoman,

AS one who had an emergency double bypass thirteen and a half years ago, because I had an aneurysm in my left coronary artery, I can recommend this fantastic invasion into one's thoracic cavity whole heartedly,

I wish Mrs. G's father "Big a speedy recovery . With good medication, diet and exercise there is no reason why he should not be able to enjoy life after open-heart surgery for a long time.

In answer to my question after the operation, my cardiac surgeon replied that he thought that he had extended my life by "about ten years".

As I have already extended his "estimate of life expenctation" by three and a half years I feel very pleased with myself!!

Kind regards.

Christiane AR1

Dear Gnoman,

AS one who had an emergency double bypass thirteen and a half years ago, because I had an aneurysm in my left coronary artery, I can recommend this fantastic invasion into one's thoracic cavity whole heartedly,

I wish Mrs. G's father "Big a speedy recovery . With good medication, diet and exercise there is no reason why he should not be able to enjoy life after open-heart surgery for a long time.

In answer to my question after the operation, my cardiac surgeon replied that he thought that he had extended my life by "about ten years".

As I have already extended his "estimate of life expenctation" by three and a half years I feel very pleased with myself!!

Kind regards.

Christiane AR1

Thanks, everyone, for your kind wishes. Big Ben is doing well. He's up and walking now, and will be coming out of hospital tomorrow, to spend a few weeks in a nursing home recuperating.

I didn't want to talk about this operation before the event, since the heart surgeon only gave him an 85% chance of living through it.

Tell him to take care of himself, and make sure he does.

TRiG.

Gnomon,

Best wishes to Big Ben. I think anyone would be pleased with those odds, beats the alternative, but you sound like me not wanting to count your chickens.



Websailor

Get well soon, Big Ben

Only an 85% chance? But the alternative was worse, I assume? Aren't doctors wonderful?

Ben is now in a nursing home where he will remain for a few weeks before going home. He's recovering well from the heart operation, but caught MRSA while in the hospital, which is a bit of a pain.

A bit of a pain is putting it mildly. Poor thing. That's not a good way to start convalescance Still, he's in good hands now.

There's more and more MRSA about... several people who I know have caught it. Enough to make me think several times before going into hospital.

It is a particular threat in Irish hospitals. The Dutch have fairly well licked it, but it needs hundreds more wards to isolate the patients who may be carrying it.

The minister for health said last week that MRSA won't be wiped out of Irish Hospitals overnight, but with the new initiative they hope to get it down to 80% of its current level within five years.

Do Irish hospitals share our apparent difficulties in achieving basic standards of cleanliness? It's not the cleaners who are to blame for this. It's the practice of contracting out to the lowest bidder on the basis of incompetently written service level agreements. And the lack of money to pay for higher standards.

(although I appreciate that this applies to other bugs, rather than MRSA).

The hospitals I've been in over the last couple of months were all spotless.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6428951.stm

"One in 20 patients in Northern Ireland catches an infection while in hospital, according to a new survey."

Doesn't specify that it's MRSA - presumably it's any kind of infection.

Mrs A is a special case. It's an evolutionary survivor in an environment pervaded by antibiotics. Outside hospitals it stands less of a chance because it has to compete with other, more benign microbes.