He walked into my Clinic – ramrod straight – a dignified elderly fit man. I knew immediately that he was from the Armed Forces – you can retire a man from the Armed Forces but you cannot take the Armed Forces culture out of the man. “Doc – I need bypass surgery“ he said in a no nonsense way. I went through his records. He had suffered a major heart attack and his angiogram showed critical blocks. His heart functioning was labored. He was a retired Wing Commander (Wg Cdr) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). “Just fix me up good“ – was all he said.
No questions about risks, complications etc. His wife – a graceful lady –maintained a brave stoic front too – though I could make out that she was very worried. We took him for a off pump triple bypass. The surgery went well. His heart bounced back to normal. He was ‘fast-tracked’ in the ICU. Armed Forces men hate to be tied down. Action and…
