BLOGGER FACES MORTALITY, DEALS WITH HEART BYPASS AND OTHER ISSUES AT VALLEY BAPTIST

 

Dr. Mark Morales

With my 14 day stint at Valley Baptist Hospital on Jefferson Street seemingly successful, I'm home, recovering from triple bypass surgery and other issues.

The 1923 hospital is a familiar place, even though the floor plan of its well-used, but shiny corridors still seems illogical to me.  My  sister-in-law Teresa, one year older than Nena, now 78, was a Candy Striper there as a teenager, when the place was known as Mercy Hospital, run by the nuns.  Nena and I used to eat lunch there is the 60's when we were short on money and you could get a vegetable plate in the basement cafeteria for 30 cents.

Nena, eventually spent much of her last four years in and out of the place.

The whole episode started with a blackout and subsequent fall, where I quickly got up, telling my wife Ana that I was "alright."  She was having none of that and drove me to ER, where I was eventually referred to cardiologist Dr. Jaime Silva.

It was in Dr. Silva's office that his associate, 75 year old Dr. Edward McGlynn, didn't like something about my EKG and ordered heart catheterization to search for blockage, finding arteries with 80%, 70% and 80% blockage.

It was Dr. Mark Morales, a flamboyant guy in a tailored suit with bowtie and a starched white shirt, who did the surgery.  It was a much more haggard Dr. Morales I saw last night and thanked, at the end of what was likely his 16 hour work day.

My experience with so many dedicated nurses and staff was 100% positive, although many of my lame jokes fell flat.  I tried to be a good patient while keeping on top of the data.

One older, red-haired nurse, not connected at all with my case, approached me in the hallway.

"Are you having bypass surgery?" she asked.

"That's serious surgery," she continued.  

"You will have pain in places you didn't know you had places."

When I explained which arteries were being bypassed, she added:  "We call that one the widow maker."

Bemused, I was whisked away from her, thinking she could use some retraining on patient relations.