Monthly Archives: April 2023

On Monday, April 3, they moved me out of the 4-bed isolation ward into a 4-bed regular ward, still in the Cardiac wing. Above, see an image of Darlinghurst at night; we had a very similar view from each of the two wards I'd been in. There, I had three ward-mates: A Chinese man who was completely laconic, and two white Australians, one an 80+ year old who was originally from England, and a guy who was about 58, and suffering from a cough that he kept repeating was a mystery to his doctor. The older man was due to be released, but he lived in a small rural place up north somewhere. He obsessed about how he was going to get to the airport. The younger man was worried about being released back home (somewhere in central Sydney) when he didn't know what was happening in his lungs, and how would he know when to consult his doctor again, after resting for some unspecified period. These two chewed the cud over their shared concerns, plus past naval diving experiences, endlessly repeating themselves. I was starting to think that I would be better off in the isolation ward where the others mostly slept. Soon, they came to get me for my procedure, a CT scan of my heart. It was done pretty quickly, and the results were available later that afternoon. A doctor (Sam, standing in for Jasper who was out that day), told me that the CT scan suggested that I had some blockages. That was the point when I had to stop obsessing about how I might rejoin the travel group in Auckland or in Fiji, and reoriented myself towards medical treatment. Sam said that they would be performing an angiogram the next day to investigate said blockages. I'd had an angiogram 21 years before, so I knew what to expect, except that they have improved the techniques since that time. They weren't messing about here! Angiogram the next day!

Today's image is a zoomed-in picture of what appears to be a major stadium not too far from the hospital. I believe it is the Allianz Stadium. That is somewhat ironic, since my travel insurance company is Allianz, with whom I'm struggling right now. The day of the angiogram arrived. But, I'd mentioned to my doctor that when I talked on my mobile to my lovely wife early in the morning, my time (much later in the previous day, her time), I felt like I was struggling for words more than usual. Without hesitation, my doctor ordered a CT scan of my brain. So, first, the CT scan -- I found out later, in my release medical records, that it indicated no problems. Then, the angiogram. I was awake the whole time. They went in through the radial artery in my wrist (much better than through the femoral artery as they'd done 21 years ago!), and I heard them conversing throughout. I did some conversing with them, but mostly I didn't want to distract them... They told me that they did not find any significant blockages, so they didn't have to insert any stents. They could tell that the existing stent from 21 years ago was still operating well. So, basically, a result as good I could have expected! YAY!

The following day, 5 April, I met with my doctors (Jasper and Fiona), they gave me some written medical records to give to my doctor and my cardiologist, and said that I was cleared to fly. I said, "Even if the flight (Sydney to Los Angeles) is about 15 hours duration?" Jasper said "No problem! I'll be taking that flight in a few days!" I asked why and he told me that he was going to go to Coachella. I knew vaguely that that was some kind of major concert venue with multiple sound stages, and shared a smile with Fiona. Jasper was quite a character, and very laid back. Then, having been released from my ward, I had an interview (in the "Transfer Lounge" of the hospital -- love that name!) with a member of the hospital's financial staff, during which we called my travel insurance's case manager. That was the first step in what appears to be a long procedure attempting to claim from them. An Appreciation At this point, I feel the need to say something about the care I had received at St. Vincent's Hospital. I short, I can say with confidence that the care I received was the best health care I've experienced anywhere in the world. Absolutely everyone was great! Nurses, doctors, staff. They were all conscientious, caring, cheerful, etc. And the ethnic diversity was amazing. There were white Australians, Brits, Asians from China, Nepal, India, South Korea, Myanmar, Thailand. Some first generation immigrants, some established. Everyone worked together, and everyone -- doctors, nurses, staff, cleaning staff -- was on a first name basis. Even the food was good -- although, as you'd expect with hospital food, somewhat bland. The only quibbles I had were that the coffee was instant (I'm pretty sure of that, and it was a contrast to the excellent coffee I'd had during my entire Australian experience), and that breakfast choices were limited; I ended up choosing scrambled eggs every day. Pretty minor quibbles, I'd say. Waiting for Neb... After my interview, I had a very welcome real coffee (a long black) in the coffee bar at the hospital entrance, while I booked a room at an airport hotel (the Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport hotel) using my mobile, and waited for Neb, who had kindly offered to drive me to the hotel. He arrived at the main entrance and whisked me away to the hotel (pictured above). I settled into my room, and made my flight reservation for the next day -- a Qantas flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, leaving the next morning. It was after lunch time, and I was hungry. There was a pie shop directly opposite (Patchett's Pies) that would have been a great choice, except that I misjudged things, and missed their opening hours (they closed at 2:30pm). So, I ordered a pizza delivery from the main desk at the hotel, and when it arrived ate it there, in an area where people could…

I had wanted to meet all of Neb's family, including his wife Cristin, and younger daughter, 5-year old Celia. So, that evening, Neb drove down to the Holiday Inn Express again, with his family. Very close to the hotel was an Argentinian restaurant, La Boca Bar and Grill, within easy walking distance. I said I would treat them to dinner there. It turned out to be quite good, and not at all busy. Neb seemed to be fully knowledgable about Argentinian cuisine, and ordered Asador with verve and confidence. I was more cautious, given that I had eaten only hospital food for nearly two weeks (good though it was), and that I was recovering from an angiogram, so I ordered Barramundi; that turned out to be a good choice. Alice and Celia shared an Antipasto Platter (they are quite adventurous eaters!). Cristin also chose the 'Barra'. I've already said how impressed I was with Alice. Celia is a delightful 5-year old. When we first met, when she was hand-in-hand with her father, she was a little shy ("Who is this strange man my father is introducing me to?"), but it didn't take long for her to get used to me, and we were soon interacting well. She is a very cute 5-year old, with a great little personality. (She just turned 6 years old!) Alice, me, and Celia. It was good to finally meet Cristin. I had seen many Facebook posts from Cristin and Neb containing countless cute photos of their daughters, and knew that she is a Dramaturge. (I had to look that up!). She is a very interesting lady. Here are Alice, Celia, Cristin and myself at La Boca. Not sure why I have that expression... We enjoyed a good meal, and then we all walked back to the hotel. Neb and family drove back home, and I went to my room, and to bed.

I had set an early wakeup call so I could get the airport shuttle and make it for my Sydney to Los Angeles flight in good time. Like most international airports, Sydney has its share of fancy shops and fanciful architecture. I walked from where the shuttle dropped me, found where I should check in my bag, but I was too early, so I found a place to sip another Long Black to wait for the check-in to open. Check-in turned out to be relatively easy, and I made it through security and thence, after a long walk through duty free areas and fancy shops, to my gate. I ended up arriving at the gate for my flight very early, but that was good, because I used the time to book my domestic flights (Los Angeles to Manchester, NH). Thank goodness for my mobile! The International flight left Sydney around 10:30am, I slept pretty much the entire 15 hour flight, and we landed in Los Angeles around 7:00am the same day. (That International Date Line plays tricks with your mind!) Back in the USA! At Los Angeles, my encounter with US Border Control was surprisingly easy. I was guided to a booth that had no one waiting, walked up to the guy, who asked me to stand in front of a camera (just a simple webcam), within a few seconds, he addressed me as "Bryan?". I said "You got me!" (or some such), and he said I was good to go. He didn't look at any documents, nor ask me any questions. It felt weird, after my previous experiences with US Border Control. I made my way to Baggage Claim, and waited a very long time for my bag, but it eventually came, and I collected it. Then, to get to my hotel for the night. I knew from previous experience at LAX that I needed to find out where to pick up the private hotel shuttle (it's not at the same location as the 'regular' shuttles), and, true to form, I found that it was a very long walk to get to that location. LAX doesn't appear to believe in providing anywhere to sit on the way there. But, I found it, and after about 20 minutes hopped on the shuttle for my hotel, the Sonesta Los Angeles Airport LAX hotel. I arrived at the hotel, but I was way too early to check in, so I checked my bags with the concierge, found a place in the lobby to buy breakfast and a coffee (this time, no Long Black; it had to be an Americano). I ate my breakfast, and then settled in a comfortable chair with my coffee, and closed my eyes. Around noon, I was able to check into my room, went there with my reclaimed baggage, and spent a lot of time sleeping -- I was feeling pretty fatigued, with the after-effects of COVID, ten days of isolation, a long flight, and a significant timezone…