Has anyone had side effects from the Heart/Lung machine?

[PhilCraun]

I have been hearing all kinds of scary reports about the side effects of the heart/lung machine... things like permanent memory loss.

Does anyone have any comments?

[Gillian (in UK)]

A lot of people on this site joke about memory loss, call themselves "pump heads", but my impression is that it isn't really a major problem.

I had my AVR on 13 March this year and notice I sometimes find it more diffucult to remember names. But it is better than it was and I am still hoping for more improvement. In any case, you are younger than me and can probably afford to lose a few cells without too much bother.:)

I hope you will get more reassurance from other replies. This is a great site to ask all the questions you need to before your surgery. Do you have a date yet. Everyone says the waiting time is the worst, from then on you're just watching things getting better.

Keep in touch.

[DickV]

I hate to disagree with Gillian but it is an issue to some. We joke because most of us have really positive attitudes and it is easier to make light of a subject. I, as many others, have experienced some form of memory loss but it is generally short term and most of the stuff you forget comes back later. Hell, at most of our ages, we have CRS anyway (can't remember s#!t).

In the grand scale of the possible complications that can arise from valve replacement surgery, I believe most of my mechanical valve buddies will go along with the statement that this is not one of the biggies.

I have an article on the subject that I will email to you Monday. It is not on my PC here at home. Some dispute the findings but I dare to say most of those have not had the problem to the extent many of us have experienced. Again, while I was aware of it, it was not really a concern to me. I eventually found all the stuff I could not find and remembered the words to the songs I have sung all my life (well most of them anyway).

[Marty]

Phil, Scientific case studies show that there is some decrease in mentation post pump but in almost all cases it is temporary- all gone by three months.I was on the pump one hour and twenty three minutes. This is about average. I have a buddy who had a mitral valve repair and was on only 58 minutes. I am 75 and have my senior moments but my wife reminds me that I had them before the surgery. I have gone back to work where I have to remember a lot and don't have any difficulty.Be positive and try to read and keep your mind active in the post op period.At my fitness center there are a dozen guys and gals who have had open heart surgery and they are as sharp as they can be. You will do well.

[hensylee]

Not to worry, Phil. There have been studies done and it is supposed to be temporary.(Dr Rich over in About.com has written an article explaining it). It has to do with cognitive memory. I had bypass, not valve replacement. I find that common words are sometimes just not there, but somebody always supplies it, like the other day Gillian told us Jonathan had broken his elbow and in my post I referred to it as his leg!! It is no major thing for me. Things really important I need to remember are there.

From reading posts in here, haven't found anyone here that feels they have a REAL memory problem, tho we do poke fun at ourselves.

[Jean]

I'll echo the others. At first I found I didn't care to sit and read or knit for hours on end like I did before and do now...would get tired of it. Later in the summer (my surgery was in Jan.) when I started riding my motorcycle I noticed a visual or spatial problem when taking the curves. I'd lose my focus and chicken out...and my passion is taking curves as fast as I can...I wish I could lay it down like my husband...never have and never will til I get to the big curves upstairs...there's got to be motorcycles and neat winding roads up there. This summer all seems back to normal...maybe it was my sense of mortality from the surgery or something else, but it was temporary.

[Gerry]

Hi Phil

A factual side-effect of the heart lung machine is that it damages your red blood cells. However, over time, we tend to replace them and get ourselves back to normal.

The effect of the h-l machine is time related, that is, a function of how long one is hooked up to it. Anecdotal evidence suggests that we do lose brain cells whilst on the machine, but I understand we all have many more than we need.

Best regards

[Rain]

I'd like a copy of the article Dick.

I don't think I really had a big problem with memory loss.

However if you ask my husband and kids........ You may get a different answer. lol

[DickV]

Here it is:

The New England Journal of Medicine -- February 8, 2001 -- Vol. 344, No. 6

Longitudinal Assessment of Neurocognitive Function after Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery
Mark F. Newman, Jerry L. Kirchner, Barbara Phillips-Bute, Vincent Gaver, Hilary Grocott, Robert H. Jones, Daniel B. Mark, Joseph G. Reves, James A. Blumenthal, for the Neurological Outcome Research Group and the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Research Endeavors Investigators

Abstract
Background. Cognitive decline complicates early recovery after coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) and may be evident in as many as three quarters of patients at the time of discharge from the hospital and a third of patients after six months. We sought to determine the course of cognitive change during the five years after CABG and the effect of perioperative decline on long-term cognitive function.
Methods. In 261 patients who underwent CABG, neurocognitive tests were performed preoperatively (at base line), before discharge, and six weeks, six months, and five years after CABG surgery. Decline in postoperative function was defined as a drop of 1 SD or more in the scores on tests of any one of four domains of cognitive function. (A reduction of 1 SD represents a decline in function of approximately 20 percent.) Overall neurocognitive status was assessed with a composite cognitive index score representing the sum of the scores for the individual domains. Factors predicting long-term cognitive decline were determined by multivariable logistic and linear regression.
Results. Among the patients studied, the incidence of cognitive decline was 53 percent at discharge, 36 percent at six weeks, 24 percent at six months, and 42 percent at five years. We investigated predictors of cognitive decline at five years and found that cognitive function at discharge was a significant predictor of long-term function (P<0.001).
Conclusions. These results confirm the relatively high prevalence and persistence of cognitive decline after CABG and suggest a pattern of early improvement followed by a later decline that is predicted by the presence of early postoperative cognitive decline. Interventions to prevent or reduce short- and long-term cognitive decline after cardiac surgery are warranted. (N Engl J Med 2001;344:395-402.)
Source Information
From the Department of Anesthesiology (M.F.N., J.L.K., B.P.-B., V.G., H.G., J.G.R.), the Department of Surgery (R.H.J.), the Division of Cardiology (D.B.M.), and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science (J.A.B.), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. Address reprint requests to Dr. Newman at the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, Box 3094, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, or at newma005@mc.duke.edu.
The members of the study groups are listed in the Appendix.
Appendix
The members of the Neurologic Outcome Research Group and the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Research Endeavors Investigators of the Duke Heart Center were as follows: Director: M. Newman; Codirector: J. Blumenthal; Anesthesiology: F. Clements, N. de Bruijn, K. Grichnik, H. Grocott, S. Hill, A. Hilton, J. Mathew, J. Reves, D. Schwinn, M. Stafford Smith, A. Grigore, M. Gamoso, G. Mackensen, R. Panten, T. Stanley, L. Ti, J. Kirchner, A. Butler, V. Gaver, W. Cohen, B. Funk, M. Tirronen, W. White, and B. Phillips-Bute; Behavioral Medicine: J. Blumenthal, M. Babyak, and P. Khatri; Neurology: C. Graffagnino, D. Laskowitz, A. Saunders, and W. Strittmatter; Surgery: R. Anderson, T. D'Amico, R. Davis, D. Glower, R. Harpole, J. Jaggers, R. Jones, K. Landolfo, C. Milano, P. Smith, and W. Wolfe; Cardiology: D. Mark, E. Peterson, M. Sketch, and R. Califf.
Related Editorial

The full text of Original Articles is available to subscribers only after logging on. However, you can order the complete article.

Table of Contents | Previous Article | Next Article

Copyright © 2001 by the Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

[ken]

http://www.coloradohealthnet.org/CHNReports/mentaldecline_bypass.html?printit

Mental Decline After Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery

Longitudinal Assessment of Neurocognitive Function after Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery, by Mark F. Newman, Jerry L. Kirchner, Barbara Phillips-Bute, Vincent Gaver, Hilary Grocott, Robert H. Jones, Daniel B. Mark, Joseph G. Reves, James A. Blumenthal, for the Neurological Outcome Research Group and the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Research Endeavors Investigators; The New England Journal of Medicine, February 8, 2001; Related Editorial, Coronary-Artery Bypass Surgery and the Brain, by Ola A. Selnes, Ph.D. and Guy M. McKhann, M.D., Johns Hopkins University.


Background
Here is the important background information that the authors give us:

cognitive or mental decline is recognized as a complication after cardiac surgery,
the incidence of the mental decline has changed little over the past 15 years despite advances in techniques for anesthesia, surgery, and the protection of organs,
elderly patients are at substantially increased risk for mental decline after surgery,
many clinicians have minimized the importance of post-operative mental decline because the decline appears to be transient in a substantial number of patients,
yet, in many patients, the decline has been shown to persist for at least 6 months. No studies have measured the course of the decline over a long term.

Purpose of This Study
The authors undertook this study to determine the course of mental change during the 5 years after coronary-artery bypass surgery.

Participants and Methodology
A total of 261 patients undergoing elective coronary-artery bypass surgery at the Duke Heart Center from March 1989 through November 1993 were enrolled in the study. The patients were given a brief set of neurocognitive tests before surgery, again on the day before discharge, and at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 5 years after their surgery. The tests measured the ability of the patients to:

repeat in numerical order a series of numbers presented to them orally and then to repeat the numbers in reverse order,
reproduce from memory a series of geometric shapes,
reproduce randomly generated numbers matched with symbols, and
connect with a line a series of numbers and letters in sequence.
These 4 factors represent the mental domains for verbal memory and language comprehension; abstraction and visuospatial orientation; attention and concentration; and visual memory. Mental decline was defined as 1 standard deviation in performance in any 1 of the 4 domains. One standard deviation represents a 20% decline in function.


Results
Here is what the study found:

mental decline was found in 53% of the patients at discharge,
the incidence of decline decreased to 36% at 6 weeks and 24% at 6 months.
but, 5 years after surgery, the incidence of mental decline increased to 42%,
those patients who did not have early postoperative mental decline, also did not have long-term decline,
in contrast, the patients who did have early postoperative decline, also had a long-term decline that was similar to that at discharge.

Authors’ Summary and Conclusions
The authors summarize their findings as follows: Patients whose mental function declines immediately after surgery are at increased risk for long-term mental decline and a reduced level of overall mental functioning. Moreover, certain patients are at greater risk for early postoperative mental decline than others. In this study, patients who had early decline were more likely to be older and have a lower level of education than those who did not have early decline.
The authors suggest that patients who have early cognitive decline may be candidates for aggressive intervention strategies to prevent the late cognitive deterioration that this study documents.


Related Editorial
The authors of the editorial note that stroke and postoperative delirium are two of the more serious mental complications of coronary-artery bypass surgery. Postoperative delirium occurs after coronary-artery bypass surgery in about 10-30% of patients and may be related in part to anesthesia.
The editorial also suggests that the late decline in mental performance may be related to the surgical procedure itself. For example, in some patients, manipulation of the aorta during the surgery releases clots that can occlude vessels in the brain.

They urge that patients undergoing coronary-artery bypass surgery would benefit from postoperative changes in their diets, medications, and lifestyle.


Ed Asks: What Should You Do With This Report?
If you are about to undergo elective coronary artery bypass surgery, you should take this article to your doctor, surgeon, and anesthesiologist and ask which protective procedures are most appropriate for you. If, after surgery, you are found to have cognitive decline, you should ask about changes in your diet, medications, and lifestyle that may protect you against later decline.

[srwieland]

I must admit, I've been getting a lot of mileage out of excusing myself for being a 'pumphead' and will probably continuing milking it to the hilt as long as I can! However, the effects really have been minor even though I was evidently on it for a relatively long time. From my own experience and what I've heard from others, it is probably more comparable to being just a tiny bit tipsy than it is to being really drunk!

Hope your experience with it goes as well as it has for me. Good luck.

[Lorraine]

I ditto the others. I had some memory loss at first(MVR & AVR March 8, 2001) but then it seemed to get better. When I first got home from the hospital, I't took me 15 minutes each morning to take all my meds because my brain didn't seem to be functioning on what I was doing. I also had one real scary mishap at about 6 weeks postop when I accidently left a cast iron skillet on the stove burner for 3 hours ( I was drying it) I went out to dinner and completely forgot the burner was on. The house was just getting a burnt singed smell in the air when I returned. There was a pan on the back burner that had plastic handles and it was just starting to melt. I haven't had any more mishaps like that. I had never done anything like that before in my life. I hope this helps though, to be on the alert. I definitely am now!

Lorraine

[Mike M. in Hous]

Hi Phil,

I did not have any problems at all regarding memory problems after surgery. At least none that I remember. LOL
Seriously though I am a 48 year old college student and I had my surgery April 5th this year. Four weeks after surgery I was back at school taking finals for the spring semester and even with missing the last four weeks of class's I got A's in all class's and made the deans list again with a 4.0 GPA for the semester. I like everyone else jokes about being a pumphead but in reality have no problems with it. I do have a hard time remembering names but then I have always been lousy at names anyway.
I would not spend a lot of time worrying about the effects of the pump, you will in all likelyhood be fine.

[Marty]

Phil, I think the reason you had no perceptible decrease in mentation is you are young and also in a challenging stimulating environment. The Duke article seems to validate this. Even though I am old, 75, I started reading immediately after the surgery, had some double vision but kept right on and then went back to work. I think doctors should get their patients brains challenged as soon after surgery as possible and this will cut down both early and late problems.

[KristyW]

Phil,

I had AVR on 6-19-01 and I'm 38 years old.

I am now 3 weeks post-op and the only thing that I can tell you is that for the first week I had the attention span of a 2 year old. It wasn't that I couldn't remember things if I needed to, but I couldn't seem to stay on one task or do more than one thing for very long. Talking on the phone with the TV on was a big challenge. After that, things got back to normal. I haven't noticed any memory lapses or anything else out of the ordinary.

Hope this helps.

Kristy W.

[Sharon]

Hi Phil,
avr 4/97 - st judes mechanical. I still remember not being able to concentrate on tv, newspapers - reading a book was impossible. It took a few weeks to gradually be able to concentrate more. I started doing crossword puzzles to make my mind work again. My memory has always been bad, so I can't blame the h-l machine for that although I do sometimes.
Sharon

[hensylee]

After reading everybody's posts, seems lots of us had some sort of reaction. Here's what I did to help myself. After a month's stay with my nurse cousin, I came home, sat down at this wonderful machine and decided to learn as much as possible about it - before that it was little used, except for e-mail and games. There is a world of information to learn from it. I found this site and another one about heart disease and cardiology that way. It was a challenge but I loved every moment of it. Mental challenges will help all of us to remember and to learn, whether we are pump heads or not. God bless.:D

[Kevin M]

Thanks to Dick and Ken for supplying proof that the machine does do a number on us.

I've now had two AVR's and noticed no difference aside from week one post-op when the body is loaded with drugs.

I liked Marty's take on this. Your brain needs exercise just as your body.

I'm three weeks post-op and have read about six books since my surgery. I won't say my mind is at its peak of sharpness, however, I feel pretty normal and in fact, without any nasty work stuff to stress me out, my head is more clear than when I went in!

Based on the research shown by Dick and Ken and some of the experiences discussed here, it does sound like this can be a problem.

I am thankful I haven't felt the effects.
Kev
K

[Ben Smith]

Alot of us do joke about it. And some of us will swear that we have some substantial memory loss, but it is my oppinion that most of the problems we have are medication related.
RobThatsMe encouraged me to get off of the Metoprolol and be switcvhed to something else. Well I never switched but my dosage is way down and My so called memory loss is improving.
Is there some truth to the memory loss, I think a little. But the so called study that was recently completed was done on patients in their 60's. No offense to any one in that age group, but memory capabilities do begin to fade around then for some. So I would say to wait until the medical community decides to do a study on all age groups before they make widee range statments regarding permanent effects.

Anyhow,

God Bless

Ben

[DickV]

Ben, I completely disagree with your analysis of my, and others, problem of memory loss. Many experience significient short term memory loss from the machines of which many seem to recover over time.

I do not see what the big issue is here unless we are trying to convince people fixing to undergo the procedure that all is rosey. For many it is but for many, there are complications. This is serious stuff.

I think it best to let people speak for themselves and give them credit for being able to explain their own issues. It is a "walk a mile in my shoes" kind of thing.

As one who experienced significient memory loss, I take offense at anyone trying to convince me otherwise. I had it, it is mostly over, shit happens, end of story.

[Marty]

Dick, get someone to check your records. How long were you on the pump? I was on one hour and twenty three minutes which they say is about average for a mitral valve replacement.I had no problems except transient double vision always associated with too much reading or computer. I have a friend who had a mitral valve repair at Cleveland who was on 58 minutes. He had signs of depression post op which after treatment resolved. He is fine now at age 78.

[Ben Smith]

Dick, don't mis-understand me.
i am not trying to state that some do or not have memory loss associated with surgery.
What I am was trying to get accross is the horror stories that some hear are not necessarily going to happen.
(Although, my secretaries husband just had bypass and was on the by pass machine for about 80 minutes and has some memory problems. Not a great deal, but enough to bother him emotionally)

I swore for quite some time that I had major problems associated with my memory resulting from the surgery. As a matter of fact, I was scared that i wouldn't be able to perform my job responsibilities without the memory capabilities I had.
I do not have the same problems I was having, and I attribute that to the medication being lowered.
Am I saying that I don't have any memory loss, no. I am saying that I don't think people facing these procedures should take that "Pump Head" study seriously. I really don't see how someone can take it serious when, if I remember right (lol), there were about 50 people surveyed and all of them were of the retirement or near retirement age group.

I am not trying to anger anyone I was trying to get a different point accross.

Take care,

Ben

[Mara]

Phil-
I am 33 had the Ross Procedure on 7/12. I was on bypass about 5 hours...which I think is extermely long. I agree with Kris-- I had the attention span of a gnat...but not much memory loss...but extreme irritability and grouchiness.

Hopefully ther won't be lasting memory problems.
-Mara

[DickV]

Marty, I have my Operative Report. I was on the machine 148 minutes, about 2 1/2 hours and had a clamp time of 94 minutes.

As I had both the graft and the valve, I had the machine hooked up to my groin. Don't know if that makes any difference.

When I woke up in the ICU unit, the first thing I noticed was my leg hurt like hell. Getting cracked open and my leg hurt worse. Go figure. Thank the Lord for good drugs.

[Marty]

Dick, You weren't on the pump all that long. You had some very fast surgeons too; to do all they did in that time. I'm predicting because you are young, and mentally active, you will be just fine at one year and at five years. Marty

[DickV]

Marty, I'm just fine now. It was the temporary memory loss that effected me. I believe the worst part lasted only several months.

[ticktock]

What a relief!! Reading these posts, I mean. I had an 8 hour procedure, with longer than normal time on the pump. Not a great thing for sure. I have 5 heart valves now, one outside the heart in an apical-aortic conduit. After this last surgery, that had a few complications, I had some cognitive problems.

It is not uncommon, and I think youth is on your side. I am 46 now and by the 4th go around, you are bound to have some problems. My symptoms were/are things like not remembering how to operate my shower. (which is hot, which is cold?). I often turn off the a/c in my car, meaning to turn ON the stereo. I push my garage door opener button at my parents house. (It doesnt work on THEIR house!) I cant remember names, but they usuallly come to me later. These are little things, and I am adjusting. It helps that Im blonde!!!

[Freddie24]

I would caution soon-to-be heart surgery patients not to dwell on this possibility too much. I think it's a very individual response. I've heard many people say they have experienced various effects but after my surgery this past May, I didn't experience anything. Although heart-lung machine side-effects are a definite possibility, I think they're far from being a certainty. Don't lose hope!!

[hensylee]

The heart/lung machine effects are really small potatoes considering the surgery itself and its lasting wonderful effects. Please don't get worried about it - look at all the folks in here. They are all lucid and seem to have no REAL problems about it.

The question was a really good one because of publicity early this year. And isn't this a great place to get the real scoop from those of us who went through it. God bless

[ticktock]

You know, Hensylee and Freddie, et al......

I just realized that I never had a problem until the 4th surgery. And I would have to consider this problem a relatively minor one.
I cant be sure that Im not throwing tiny clots, with all these fake parts in my heart. More than the average bear for sure.

Goodness I hope we didnt scare anyone. I was just kind of venting because I knew you guys would understand. Sorry.
mindy:confused:

[joy]

Oh no...this could pose as a problem...I'm already air headed as it is! Usually I forget my keys, my ID, or my driver's liscence. Actually last time, I LOST the cash card...Never did find it! Oooopsie!:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :confused:

I wonder if it will affect me.......

[hensylee]

Ticktock - Mindy - no need to apologize for your post. The question was asked in order to get answers and we gave them and you said it like it is. Heart surgery is a very serious matter and if we can get on a side issue that is a real one, such as pump headedness, that we can deal with, both seriously and comically, then we have accomplished our purpose. Your answer was honest and to the point and I, for one, appreciate it. Everybody's answers give us food for thought as well as education and if your answer is what happened to you, then it is very important to the site. That way, if one of us experiences the same thing after surgery, we are not surprised by it, nor ashamed of it, and can then deal with it. God bless:)

[Nancy]

Hi Hensylee-

I'm glad you posted your reply. I too have wondered if I sometimes scare people with the things that have happened to Joe. But I really do feel that they are educational and if they help someone else get through a very difficult situation, then it's worth it.

Ticktock-

I can relate to much of what you say, because Joe has experienced some of the same things. He has also gone through periods of time when he threw lots of little clots TIAs. After the implantation of his mitral valve and the implantation of his pacemaker, that has all stopped, never to return I hope.

Not wanting to scare, but hopefully to help.

[Peter Easton]

For me, it is a help, Nancy. Thanks. As Robert Frost put it, "The fact is the sweetest dream that labor knows." Better to deal with both blessings and risks as lucidly as possible, I feel.

Peter

[Kevin M]

Sugar-coating helps no one in my opinion. The more direct the information is, the better. This isn't a zit we're talking about.
Kev

[Nancy]

Amen!

[PhilCraun]

Since I started this thread (I guess it was back in June) I now have first hand knowledge of the results of the heart/lung machine. My AVR was July 6 and the only memory problems I had could easily be attributed to the pain medicine immediately post surgery. I have to admit, it is fun kidding with my wife and friends about blaming the heart/lung machine for normal lapses. I have apprreciated all the replies to this thread, even and especially the ones with less than good news. Thank you all.

[McCln]

I am still a bit of a rookie even though I will be have aortic valve replacement surgery on August 21, I have gone though the posts on this subject. I have come to my own conclusions also. There is always evidence that it is medication that can cause memory loss if anything else. That was conclusive in many misdiagnosed Alzheimers patients. So go figure. But because some people belive more in the misinofrmation than be informed my the real medical people, there will be some peole get scared. Not I. I will still have surgery and plan to do fil it in puzzles and read a good book. I have several fill it in books and some good nooks to read. I have no real fear of losing memory except for at my job. Two moths off can make a person lazy. So there can be memory loss in not using your brain. I have a cousi n who now longer can read because he won't practice the skill no more. It is like the saying goes, use it or lose it. It is just the matter od keeping your mind active after surgery. Thank you for letting me voice my opinion. Later

[hensylee]

Right on Phil. If you can't recall a name, phone # or forget where you left your keys, you can tell everybody "it's my pump headedness" and they will believe you, believe it or not, while all the while we are teasing. Much of it is due to other meds or facts of life. However, my surgeon told me to be very careful when driving for awhile after my surgery and I asked him why. He said you have had MAJOR SURGERY, that's why. At the time I didn't know of pump heads, but now I do and maybe he was referring to that, so I went over in about.com and asked Dr Rich. He's the one who gave me the scoop on pump heads It has made me more careful when operating that 'heavy machinery' they speak of on our prescriptions. God bless:D :D

[ticktock]

Hensylee, Nancy and Phil
Thanks for allowing me to take my own approach to pump headedness. I use humor much of the time to cope, and I am so afraid of offending! I have been moving and unpacking, and have missed being on the boards. Will be reading more tonight.

mindy

[Nancy]

Hi Mindy-

Joe and I also use rather dark humor to cope. Sort of laughing at the devil. We laugh about anything and everything. Even when he was at his sickest moments in the hospital, there was something to make us both laugh.

I think it's a good coping mechanism, others think we're crazy. It does let off steam and relieves tension.

Underneath it all we're extremely serious though, and we both pay attention to every detail of his care. Especially me, I'm a terrible hawk and stay on everyone's case.

[ticktock]

Nancy
My humor seems to come out at the most inopportune times!!! My family is all that way though, so its ok. I once wrote "open here" on my chest, with an arrow pointing to the top of my sternum. Never told a soul! It was a great hoot, and the entire operating room got a laugh. They all came to meet me after, to see the "chick with the sense of humor".

I could do an entire stand up routine, no kidding. One Doc asked me to remove my pj top after surgery, with 5 interns in the room. I said I would as soon as he dropped his pants. You cant believe the jokes I have played.... I wont bore you.

You are right about it being serious business.... it is. No one can dispute that. But if I didnt balance that off with a little humor, I am afraid I would be one depressed, dark awful person that no one would want to be around. So thanks for the support:)
mindy

[hensylee]

When my Joe was dying of cancer, we spent a year of laughing and crying. Joe was an accountant. He, one night in bed, said "I guess I ought to send my clients a letter." I asked him what he would tell them and he said "Well, that I am dying, I guess." We both fell out laughing - can you imaging your accountant sending you a letter that he's dying!! We had so many memorable moments of that sort, taking the edge off the horror we were going through. It was very good medicine for both of us.

[Peter Easton]

I love the humor. More power to you! The best medicine for sure. Am telling people now that I am going in for valve replacement in a week, but plan on getting an oil change and ring job at the same time just to make sure everything is shipshape. Matter of fact, with two kids heading into the teen years, I think I need the shock absorbers checked as well.

I remember my uncle showing us kids all the scars he had from his skin cancer operations. I got this one, he would say, in the Civil War, and that one was in the War of 1812...

Peter

[ticktock]

Janie
One of my favorites, "Love doesnt die, people do". Your comment reminded me of it.

Humor cures a lot of ills.

[darkoosh]

Peter, if your kids are not quite teens yet, you should also be prepared to clutch a lot and be heavy-footed when it comes to putting the brakes on.

As long as you are seeing the specialist for your valve and ring job, I'd highly suggest that you have him reset your idle. You'll need it set high to keep up with the teens.

I'm sure the repari man will also tell you to avoid all additives in your fuel line, keep an eye on the carbs, and watch the tach so as to not get too revved up about anything. Those pressure gauges are important and aren't something to ignore, as we all know too well. Further, your friends out there wouldn't want to see you 'pop the clutch' or anything like that!

When the maintenance light comes on to be sure to get in for the oil and lube job. You'll probably want the technician to plug the system into the computer, check for leaks in the hoses and run a compression test, too.

I'm not even going to make recommendations as to the dip stick or exhaust!

Never stop laughing, Peter! You'll do famously next week and we'll all be anxious to hear about the final consensus on which type of valve you ended up with.

Light your tires on fire and spin right on in and out of that hospital. Leave 'em smokin! We'll be with you all the way!

Deb Arkoosh

[OrlandoTommy]

I mess up sometimes while im typing, i have to re read things, when i worry about messing up i seem to mess up more. I have a very complex and technical job that I have to be very sharp for, so this messing up while reading/typing is really annoying to me.
I was on the HLM for 5 hours during my AVR.
Hopefully these weird symptoms go away soon, more annoying than anything else.

Tommy

[hensylee]

this brings back many memories to those who were members in 2001 and will bring some of you up to date on 'how the members were then'........

I don't think even Ross was a member then.............

We were certainly polite, weren't we? BR (b-4 Ross).

[sue943]

What was the question? :)

I did a few daft things, have some senior moments, have a burnt saucepan but mostly I am alive. Without the heart/lung bypass I wouldn't be alive so it is a small price to pay.

Just blame every lapse on pumphead even if it isn't. ;)

[geebee]

What was the question? :)

I did a few daft things, have some senior moments, have a burnt saucepan but mostly I am alive. Without the heart/lung bypass I wouldn't be alive so it is a small price to pay.

Just blame every lapse on pumphead even if it isn't. ;)
Hey Sue,

I blame everything on either pumphead or senior moments - either way I have things covered.;) :D ;)