The operation scars are fading and the initial frightening occasional twinges in his chest as nerves and muscles reconnected are a thing of the past. Roger was actually leader of the team at Pfizer Central Research, Sandwich that discovered and developed this top selling drug for the treatment of high blood pressure and angina. He also takes a 75mg dose of aspirin daily, to prevent platelet clumping in the optic vessels, something which gave him several frightening attacks of double vision in the first few weeks after the operation. W e shall both be eternally grateful to the diagnostic abilities of the doctors at Canterbury, the incredible surgical skills of Mr Young and his theatre team at St Thomas's, the care of the nurses in ICU and of course to a merciful God, who answers prayer. We have read the medical literature and appreciate how fortunate Roger was to have survived both the dissection and the demanding surgery involved in rectifying it.
Life is more precious now.
W e think this support page is very worthwhile. Information and reassurance from those who have themselves undergone aortic repair and heart surgery is invaluable to patients and relatives and the more doctors understand about both the symptoms and the underlying causes of aortic dissections and aneurysms the more lives will be saved in the future. We had not realised how differently the symptoms of aortic dissections could manifest themselves in individuals, and as a result why diagnosis often takes time, when speed can be essential for survival.