It was a pleasant hour or so being driven up to the Hospital Cardiac Unit. I sipped on my coffee and watched the sun rise as we travelled along the A55. I even saw a ship docked at the jetty being loaded with limestone from Raynes Quarry at Llandulas; something I had never seen before before.
We rolled in just before 8. Within a short while I was escorted onto the ward. It was a quiet day. There were only two other folk in for procedures. I got chatting with the lady across the way from me. The chap next to her was a little more reticent. They were in for angiography. I was there for an angioplasty. I was quite excited really. The day had finally come. I would go home a new man…
Things weren’t quite right from the start. The old blood pressure was riding high. I put that down to the coffee. It was 160/105 - oops. Then the nurse struggled to find a pulse in my left wrist, not much in the right either. Then it was a case of finding a vein in my left arm in which to shove the cannula in. No joy there. Gets stuck. Into the back of the hand it goes.
There was a bit of a delay until the surgeon came to see me. We got on like a house on fire. Felt quite happy. Just a short time and everything would change.
Got to walk in on my own this time, escorted by a nurse called Dave. Plenty of craic of the masculine kind. Time to get on with the procedure. In went the local. Followed by 15 minutes of having a guide wire shoved up my right arm. Then I could feel it bumping up against my elbow. That wasn’t going anywhere. Finally they gave up and swapped to the left arm. Several shots of local and my hand was as cold as ice and twice as numb. Poor fellas couldn’t even raise the artery to get started. There ensued a mutual discussion in which we concluded that it would be best left for another day. I understood perfectly and laughed and joked. I was really quite disappointed.
Back on the ward, after a cup of coffee and some toast and marmalade, the surgeon popped by. Quick recap of our decision and I’m rebooked for the 10th. Best birthday present ever and it resonates with a significant Wednesday 58 years ago.
It’s now a few days later and my excitement is rising again. Doubly so because my eldest daughter is getting married on Friday.
It’s just the ebb and flow of a K wave