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After Bubba's quadruble heart bypass, I read up on it.

I hadn't known that there is a lot of contention among Cardiologists over the after-effects of being on the heart-lung machine, (brain damage!) and also the after-effect of cracking the chest, and cutting through the Pericardial sac.

It seems that depression and a long recovery time are part of the side-effects of this surgery. The effects on the brain and "aeration" of blood includes getting bubbles in a patient's blood that impacts the brain. Loss of short term memory is one of the immediate effects, and depression is one of the long term effects. In addition to a long recovery time - especially since they don't sew the Pericardial Sac back together but let it heal naturally since the heart has really been "roughed up" during the procedures and sewing the Pericardial Sac makes it "snug" to the heart again (all this I did NOT know) so they let it heal together naturally, depression is one of the after-effects they are always on the lookout for.

Means that for the first 6 weeks following surgery, the heart patient is really aware of their heart beat in a way they never were before, and won't be after it heals back together.

Not surprising that since Bubba is no longer "hearing" his heart, he decides to down some fries. Probably thought a LOT about his surgery while he was in the recovery process, and hearing his heart beat, no matter what position he was in!!!

I'm not gonna say outloud that I hope that he reclogs his arteries, but if he keeps eating like that, no amount of Cholesterol-reducing medicine is going to keep him from sludging up his arteries again.

I know someone who could not give up their fried seafood, their fried onion rings, and "chicken-fried steak" and had TWO quadruple heart-bypasses - all paid for by the same medical insurance plan I was on at work, and that we increasingly had to pay more and more for, as we watched "his" surgeries.

One day at lunch at his favorite bistro, eating a plate of fried seafood, and side PLATTER of friend onions rings that this place was known for, his Cardiologist saw him through the Restaurant windows.

In walked his Cardio guy, straight up to my boss's boss's table, and said, "You just jumped the shark with that food. Find yourself another Cardiologist. I quit. I am never going to have you on my operating table again."

I don't know the end of the story - whether he ever needed another surgery but I did hear that he was at a Doctor's office the next day, asking for yet another Cholesterol-reducing drug because he "had to keep his Cholesterol down; it must be my genes that sock away any fat I eat." Yeah, right. NOT! okay - maybe but he sure didn't help it with his eating habits.

Lastly, losing weight very quickly wouldn't account for Bubba's pallid skin color. Baggy skin here and there? Yes. But not the sallow skin. I wonder what else is really wrong with him? Liver disease, perhaps?

It's all just his lousy lifestyle catching up with him - and probably way before he thought it would. HAR!

Hello--

I was just thinking about you and YOUR heart and here I get online and read your post! Very interesting.

LOL about your boss' boss and his cardiologist! My FIL was the same way a few years ago--taking the drugs but refused to alter in any way his eating habits, stress (which can up chol. level) and so on. FIL is the same way with his shoulder surgery a few years ago, his neck surgery last year . . . just refuses to follow orders.

Your research on the after-effects of major surgery are very interesting too. I'm not surprised at the depression; I've heard of that more and more lately.

I thought of liver disease, too, with his skin color. As has been mentioned here and on other threads, I think his years of 'dirty' living are really catching up with him. It just has to when people live such unscrupulous lives--always cheating, taking advantage of their power, trying to stay one step ahead of the law, the rules, etc.

My grandfather, who has lived and continues to live, one of the cleanest lives of anyone I know (spiritual, emotional, personal, etc.) is 85; one of my kids yesterday remarked that he looks MUCH younger and healthier than my 'dirty living' father-in-law who is only 65. The contrast with Bubba and Bush 41 yesterday showed the same thing. (and BTW, I have the same reaction to my FIL's premature aging as you do to Bubba's--"HAR"!)