Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-31

seemed 10 ease. then I felt 9
heavy Juggling inside my chest
The nurse sponged by fore
head. and placed q hand over
lmy eyes. IL felt cool and re-
assuring. There was no sound
and no one spoke. Looking
down. saw the two surgeons
working nearly head to head
Then they paused briefly and
stood upright.
I was very tired. and my
chest felt weighted. / was per-
mitted to rest for an instant.
then DR.. Gorelik spoke to me /:
This is where you will feel
the pain. Shall We put you to
sleep?"
NO" l whispered. Anxiety
swept over me. I felt the
anesthetist's hands leave my
shoulders, and then the sharp
prick OF q needle in my upper
left arm. Almost instantly, !
felt calm. VI
From the surgeons detailed
explanation the previous night,
! knew now that the next step
would be crucial. An incision
would be made in the heart.
The magnesium silicate would
be forced into the space be-
tween the covering and the
heart muscle.
when the magnesium sill
cate hits" the surgeon had told
me, the heart will contract
quickly in shock. The heart will
fight back, trying to throw of
this foreign substance.
1T will be about the same
thing as having another heart
attack. But before / do this,
I will tell you about the pain,
and we will put you to sleep if
you want US to. If you want to
stay awake. we'll give you a
sedative. You couldn't stand
it without something"
Now the jolt came.
It was painful and sharp,
and the pressure seemed UNI
bearable-much worse than
before.
Out Only q Minute
I tried to say something. /
wanted to go to sleep, and i
couldn't talk. Gasping for
breath, ! looked at the overhead
lamp.
1t swayed and spun wildly.
Also, the table was fitting, and
/ was rolling on the table to
the left. / was falling. Then,
like in a frightening dream, !
awoke with a start. There was
absolute silence.
The nurse sponged my fore
head. looked down and said
quietly:
"You were out only minute. !"
I saw then that the surgeon
was working alone. No one
moved, and no one spoke.
Later I was told that the
surgeon, at that moment, was
closing the incision in the heart
covering. This tissue is fragile,
and will rip and tear easily.
The surgeon also must make
each of these stitches in be-
tween the beats of the heart.
Here, the skill of a surgeon is
put to the test. Even /, some
how, seemed to sense the drama
of this moment.
All Over
Minutes later, the surgeon
looked at me.
Its all over" he said. His
voice sounded tired and he
slumped a little. Then he bent
over me again, was joined by
his assistant and they carefully
closed the outer incisions.
The surgeon stood there with
his face mask dropped down
around his neck. He pushed
the cap back on his head and
took of his glasses. A nurse
handed him a towel and he
wiped his forehead.
Hands lifted me of the ia
bic onto a stretcher. I was ex-
hausted. Blankets were put
over me. Then the stretcher
rolled out into the corridor and
into a waiting elevator. / closed
my eyes and sighed. I tried to
breathe deeply but couldn't.
Back in my room, the nurse
fused over me like a mother
taking care Of a sick child. She
said the operation had taken 81
minutes. Don't worry about
anything now" she said softly.
you came through just fine.
I'll take good care of you"
She was confident, gentle, eff
ficient, solicitous - and she
looked like an angel.
All that was several months
ago. Now. I'm back in the Office
at my typewriter. My brand
new heart is working fine. feel
fine-never felt so good in my
life. My recovery, the doctors
told me, will be complete.
Recently, at the end of a
checkup, DR.. Gorelik told me
earnestly:
Your capacity for work will
gradually increase. Live a nor
NAL life. Try to enjoy every
minute Of it, and don't let
trivial things bother you. Moth
ing is worth upsetting you.
BE happy. Stay happy. And
forget. as quickly as you can,
that you ever had any heart
trouble"