Peter's operation has to be rescheduled

Peter went back to his family doctor today for a follow-up consultation. Although the worst of the flu is over, the decision was made that he is not well enough to undergo surgery at this moment. He has a persistent cough and his chest is still very congested... or as Peter says he has 'the dreaded lurgie'! The surgeon has said that the operation must be postponed, and she estimates that it may only be rescheduled in about two weeks or thereabouts. The date will only be decided once he has been given a 'clean bill of health' by his GP. Only then will we know the exact date when the operation will be done. This decision was made at 2.30pm today and Lydia was already on her way to Cape Town... Anyway, her visit is sure to be a good tonic for Peter and Jeanette and loads of laughter and reminiscing on the good old days will be the order of the day.

Murphy's law

Peter has caught the dreaded flu and his GP has now put him on a course of penicillin. We are hoping that it will do the trick and he gets better within the week. If he cannot shake it off then his operation will have to be rescheduled.

Jeanette's care?

Jeanette has her good days and bad days. Peter does an exceptional job of caring for her and is at her side constantly. Jeanette’s friend Lydia has offered to come to Cape Town to stay with us while Peter has the heart operation. She will be there predominantly for companionship. We have engaged the services of a registered nurse to attend to Jeanette’s daily medical and personal care during weekdays and Cynthia will look after these activities over weekends.

Peter's Health?

Peter has not been 100 percent lately and mid July (16th) everything came to a head when he collapsed while walking. It must have been quite a shock for Kevin as he had just landed in Cape Town from a long international flight. Peter spent that night in ICU and after a multitude of tests he has now been told that he must have a heart valve replacement done.

The Operation

Peter's Aortiv valve replacement surgery will be performed on Friday 22 August. He will be admitted on 21 August (his 77th birthday)! The Doctor that will perform the operation is Dr Susan Vosloo (She has been highly recommended). She has said that the operation should take approximately 3 hours. Peter will have the operation done at the Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital in Cape Town. Peter's initial post-op recuperation will be in ICU. He will be kept sedated and put on a respirator for 12-24 hours until he is stabilized. For the next 24-48 hours he will remain in ICU but he will gradually be taken off the respirator. After that he will be moved out of ICU and will remain in hospital for approximately 12 days, depending on his recovery. His post-op recuperation should take 6-8 weeks.