Dear Ross, Thanks for your message. The operation itself went very well and, apparently, having six by-passes is a positive rather than a negative outcome. It means that there were six rather than a fewer number of arteries that were suitable sites for grafting, and the surgeon decided to do them all. We were warned that there would be wild mood swings after the operation and I guess (and hope) we've had them all. Max has been doped up to the eyeballs until this afternoon and already I can notice a big change now that he's off the morphine. Yes, the recuperation period will be slow. This afternoon, patients' carers attended a seminar where it was explained to us exactly what can and can't be done over the next six to eight weeks. Prolonged sitting and writing are both out, so I guess I'm going to be very unpopular as I enforce all the rules. The six-week period should be treated as holiday time while the sternum knits. Amazingly, Max and all the other patients who had surgery at the same time are walking. Because he was already unsteady on his pins and because of all the morphine he was taking, Max still needs some support when walking, but that will improve over the next few days. Regards, Imogen ---------------------------------------------------------------- Regards, Ross 30-Jan-2002 19:52:45 -0400,3105;000000000001-00000000