Bill Clinton to Undergo Bypass Surgery (LBN Thread #2)

[VolcanoJen]

Please continue discussion of Clinton's upcoming surgery in this LBN Thread #2.

LBN Thread #1 here:

President Clinton undergoing bypass surgery this AM.

Latest AP Update:

Bill Clinton to Undergo Bypass Surgery - AP

NEW YORK - Former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) will undergo heart bypass surgery after complaining of mild chest pain and shortness of breath, his office said Friday.

Clinton was being admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia, a statement said. He had seen a doctor first on Thursday, and additional tests Friday revealed the need for the surgery, it said.

[Coventina]

1. Mr. Clinton, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

:hug:

Blessings be upon you and your family.

[missingthebigdog]

2. Too sad. . . .

I hope he pulls through- losing him would be too much to bear.

[TheRovingGourmet]

3. It sounds like he is going to be okay. Best Wishes!

[Festivito]

4. A prayer for president Clinton and his team of healers

is a prayer for us, our country, even our whole world. He is a great man.

[lancdem]

5. When I heard about this I was so sad

I hope everything goes well. We love you Bill! My prayers are with you, Hillary and Chelsea.

[dbt]

6. Bet on Clinton.

MANY things and people have been trying to get him for most of his life. And they AIN'T yet!

:bounce:
dbt

[ThePittsburghKid]

7. That's unreal--I met Mr. Clinton just on Monday.

He was doing a book signing in Pittsburgh. It was the most amazing moment of my life. It seems unreal to me that he's in the hospital only four days later. His prognosis looks good, thank God. I'll be keeping him in my prayers.

[goclark]

8. He was wonderful to my Mom

I took my mom, 85, to get her book signed by Clinton.

Eight days before the book signing she had major surgery.
She insisted that I take her anyway. With the doctor's approval, I pushed her in a wheel chair to meet her "favorite President."

When I wheeled her in that bookstore and I looked up,there he was!
I bent down to whisper to my Mom,"there he is!"
As I rolled her in front of him, he stopped signing books and came around to hug my Mom!

She broke down in tears and just kept telling him, " I just love you President Clinton, I just love you!!"

When I saw my mother crying,I started crying. I looked up and noticed that there was not a dry eye in the room. The Secret Service,media,everyone was so touched by the way he comforted my Mom.

Howard Bingham, Mohammad Ali's personal photographer, was there too.
When I looked up and saw him he was cheering for my Mom!
That meant the world to me because Howard has seen many touching moments in his life and he was touched by my Mom!

This morning when I gently told her that he was in the hospital, she dropped down on her knees in prayer. I joined her.

:cry:

[mac56]

13. goclark, I love that.

I've got tears in my eyes as I read it.

My heart goes out to your mom.

[goclark]

15. Thanks so much

My mom is just so upset.

I'm trying to calm her down but she loves him like he was her own child.

[lancdem]

16. What an incredible story!

I nearly cried reading it.

[peacebuzzard]

17. Gee, that made me very emotional. Say hi to mom. Thank God for Clinton.

he certainly has had his trials. A great Democrat and wonderful presidency he administered for our country, Well wishes for both the President and for your mom.

[happynewyear]

9. Bill Clinton - get well soon!

I remember hearing Bill say during a recent interview that he did not expect he'd live very long given his genetic history. I wondered what he meant by this exactly being he did not know his father, only his mother who lived to be a decent age.

This bypass surgery is no joke, believe me. My late father had the same surgery (BUT, he was in his mid-70s at the time). Sadly enough, my father only lived a couple of years after this surgery and his life was a miserable hell, but then again he was a lot older than Bill Clinton.

God bless you President Clinton! I hope you'll be ok soon because, we :loveya: and we NEED you!!!!

:dem: :kick:

[LizW]

10. Thanks goodness they are taking care of it NOW

I know a woman whose husband (in his forties) had a heart attack and died with no warning. He was young and thin and a non-smoker.

This surgery is scary, and the lifestyle changes that will have to be made are tough, but getting a second chance is a blessing.

Good thoughts and best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

[happynewyear]

11. you are sooooooo right!

The lifestyle changes were just too much for my father. He literally lived on red meat. After the surgery - he was told no more. However, when he died, the freezer in his house was filled with steaks. :(

I really wonder if not eating the steaks would have made that much difference. I'll never know sadly.

I suspect Bill Clinton will have to be on those drugs (Coumadin) for the rest of his life - requires constant blood tests. It wasn't so easy for my father. Lots of other changes too that are difficult for anyone. However, if anyone CAN do it it is President Clinton!

:dem:

[Nambe]

12. Kerry Offers Best Wishes to Ailing Clinton

NEWARK, Ohio (AP) - At a campaign rally Friday, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry offered his best wishes to former President Bill Clinton, who faces heart bypass surgery.

``He's going to be fine,'' Kerry said, telling the rally in Newark, Ohio, about Clinton's scheduled bypass surgery.

``But every single one of us wants to extend to him our best wishes, our prayers and our thoughts and I want you all to let a cheer out and clap that he can hear all the way to New York,'' Kerry said to cheers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4472130,00.html

[janx]

14. God bless you, President Clinton! Get well soon!

.

[Wabbajack]

18. Wonder what the frreepers are saying

:(

[TankLV]

19. My prayers and good thoughts are with him at this time.

He should do fine - it's now almost a "common proceedure".

It's a good sign that he took himself in before it got really serious (such as being unconscious, etc.)

[peacebuzzard]

20. Many well wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery, Mr. President Clinton.

We need you back as soon as possible.

[Dookus]

21. I trust he'll be fine

he's young, healthy and receiving the very best care possible.

This is not a tragedy - it's a blessing. He had symptoms that uncovered the problem before anything bad happened. After the surgery, his heart should be fine for decades to come.

[juajen]

29. I agree

It's certainly better than the alternative. I went through this surgery with my not too healthy husband. He survived it well, but it was terribly hard on me. Sitting in that waiting room, knowing they are cutting open your husband's chest was certainly traumatic for me and my children. He's doing well three years later, but it is really scarey surgery. My husband is a very brave man, as this was, by no means, the worst he has gone through.

Get well soon, Bill. I will pray for strength for you and your lovely family. People the world over will be praying

[AngryAmish]

22. God speed

[Burma Jones]

23. Good luck, hope to see you around Chappaqua real soon

He and Letterman will have a lot to talk about.

You know, he'll actually feel a lot better after this bypass anyway.

[zbird]

24. Best wishes, President Clinton, for a speedy recovery.

We still need you! Also, to Sen. Clinton and Chelsea: Stay strong, he's a fighter! He'll pull through this too!

[govegan]

25. Thoughts and prayers with Mr. Clinton

Perhaps Bill will learn to concentrate more on veggies and whole foods during his recovery, and the rest of his life.

He has many great contributions to make to his country and the world. We need him to be healthy.

"An absolute ethic calls for the creating of perfection in this life. It cannot be completely achieved; but that fact does not really matter. In this sense reverence for life is an absolute ethic. It makes only the maintenance and promotion of life rank as good." Albert Schweitzer

[bobthedrummer]

26. Here's to a speedy recovery President Clinton

:hi:

[nicolemrw]

27. my minister had this exact same operation

and he was fine afterwards, just fine. so i'm sure this will go fine too.

(btw this is my first post on this forum, i've been lurking for a few days but i registered so i could add my good wishes.)

[Malva Zebrina]

28. He's the come back kid, remember? I think he will come through it fine

[Habibi]

30. He'll be fine!

Where might we send our best wishes, do you think?

[tinrobot]

31. Damn, I love that guy.

I sure hope he makes it.

[0007]

32. I sent flowers!

God I hope he pulls through okay!

[Tight_rope]

33. My prayers are with him. God watch over him please!

[are_we_united_yet]

34. Big Dog. Get well!

[zanana]

35. I had six bypasses when I was 38...

I'm 52 now, and still kicking. So don't worry too much. Bill Clinton has better habits than I do, too, and that counts for alot. The hardest part is the recovery. He'll need support then, too.

[Gregorian]

37. That's pretty rare. Clinton is still young by bypass standards

I used to be a cath lab tech. Mid 30's is about the youngest I've seen. Wow. That's tough, man. I'd never even make it through a catheterization. Yuck! No fun. It's true that the recovery is the worst part. Some people have a hard time, and some don't. I just hope he doesn't have other complications. I really doubt it. He's a healthy guy. And he'll have the very finest docs.

God speed, you great man!

[Ripley]

36. I hate to sound like a spoil sport, but...

My Dad had a quad bypass 10 years ago (63 then) and since then became very personally educated about his own health, doctors, medical procedures and vitamins.

He has pretty much convinced me to never let them crack my chest open and do that to me as he won't let them do it to him again. After the surgery he took some of the bs drugs they give heart people...beta blockers, blah blah. He was having horrible side effects and aged and was sicker. He is a retired engineer from NASA and I'm not saying he's a doctor (in fact we have argued about this often) but he knows his shit. He stopped all of the pharmaceuticals and takes a pretty intense regimen of vitamins and herbal stuff. He is full of energy and despite some bad habits, is healthy as a horse.

I wish Clinton was a little less AMA trusting and had checked out Holistic medicine practicioners before he went under the knife. I hope he survives the surgery and their drugs. Good luck Bill!

Just my .02.

[Child_Of_Isis]

40. I am thinking that President Clinton

will get very health conscious after this. I wish him the best.

[Princess Turandot]

41. Ten Years is an eternity in medicine..

there are cardiac surgeons doing bypass surgery now who do not need to put the patient on the heart-lung machine, which is the most dangerous part of the surgery.

I had early-onset cataracts removed 2 years ago. I could see perfectly as soon as they wheeled me out of the OR. No stitches. Follow-up care consisted of eye-drops. Ten years ago, I probably would have had ten stitches in the eyeball, bandages, been told to stay home and out of the sunlight for two weeks, and forced to wear those enormous sun glasses.

[montana_hazeleyes]

38. I too

add my best wishes for a full and speedy recovery President Clinton. :grouphug: :loveya:

[AussieDave]

39. He'll be fine -

can anyone imagine Big Dawg checking out just when the country needs him the most ?? There's a moron in the White House who needs removing and Dems need his skills to help out.
Good thoughts to ya, Big Guy.........

[Princess Turandot]

42. Preby has one of the finest cardiac surgery programs in the world..

Mr. Clinton called into the Larry King show, and I believe he said that the heart tissue itself appears to be in good shape. That's a very good sign. He's gotten himself into much better shape than he was ever in, it sounds like. He should be just fine. It wouldn't surprise me if he recovers in half the time the MDs have suggested.

Great Headline too in late October: President Clinton risks his very own life to urge voters to support Mr. Kerry, rather than staying sedately at home.