Niu FM breakfast host Sela Alo emerged from his life-saving heart operation at Auckland’s Mercy Hospital on January 26th. In the third of his blogs exclusively for SPASIFIKmag.com with the support of Pharmac’s One Heart Many Lives campaign, he details the lead-up to the operation and his recovery process at home.
To say I was nervous the day before surgery is an understatement. There I was in hospital with the surgeon, a Fijian-Indian, giving me the pre-operation scenario and all the risks it involved. I know he probably had to, but it made me a bit anxious, so when he asked how I was doing I tried to lighten the situation by replying “Fine, but more importantly, how are you doing?” He didn’t laugh. He just carried on talking about procedures
Surgery was scheduled for 7.30am Tuesday morning, so I got up at about 6.15am. Kathy and the kids came soon after, followed by the anesthetist who gave me a relaxant … and that’s all I remember until I woke up around noon in a bright room with a huge scar down my chest, all these tubes hanging out of me. Kathy said she received the call from the hospital at about 10.30 saying the op went well, and Kathy passed on the news to the family.
The surgeon looked a lot happier than the day before. He said they had hoped to kill two birds with one stone by sorting out my Mitral Regurgitation condition (valvular heart disease) and the Atrial Fibrillation (abnormal heart condition). The Mitral was done successfully, which was the main objective, but they couldn’t fully sort out my Atrial Fibrillation condition. It’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life, which I’ve been doing so far anyway.
The nurses and the hospital were great, but with the stuff sticking out of me I was in a lot of pain and discomfort. I know what they mean by sleep deprivation, and while the painkillers would help get me to sleep at night, I’d wake up at about 1am and stay awake for four or five hours.
It was great to finally get home on the Saturday (January 30th). My sisters are here from Melbourne and Susan really brought home to me how much it affected the family and what a shock it was. The family was the first to know, but in hindsight I should have told them earlier.
I’ve been getting heaps of feedback from friends and family and I know going public is worthwhile. Besides the stuff we’re doing on the Pacific Media Network, other media have picked it up, including Tagata Pasifika. Each day I’m feeling better and all I want to do is get on with the rest of my life. I was originally scheduled to return back to Niu FM in eight weeks, but don’t be surprised if I’m back earlier. Thanks again for all your support.
Check out Sela's first two blogs recording his journey to surgery.
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