PUMP HEADS

Pump heads, you know who you are. We are a strong force in the American economy. If you have had a cardiac by-pass and many have and you have some  memory problems. A pump head,

is an individual who survived by-pass surgery and now you are back with us again. By the way,

most do survive the refinement.

During surgery, the room is about 40 degrees above zero. . A slug of top professionals are busy working on you. After you are sedated, your sternum is divided by a buzz saw. Your heart is removed so that arteries from other parts of your body are attached to your heart. The old arteries are plugged up by wax. Thus, your heart struggles to work.

In the mean time, your brain is without oxygen for about an hour or so. The whole surgery takes about 4 or 5 hours depending on the complications.  After the whole surgery, you are left with some mild brain damage for lack of oxygen to the brain..

Can we talk?  Vice President Cheney and myself are pump heads. I do not know what his

situation is, but mine is memory loss and spelling typos. In general conversations, I have trouble remembering names, and recalling the names of concepts and historical personalities or the name of a long lost friend or relative.

When I was lecturing ( I am now retired) I  would dance around a concept until I could remember

it. I would use numerous little words to describe the big concept. Often given a little time, I could do the job. When it comes to names, I simply tell people my problem. For years, I knew the names of all my students. After surgery, I told them why I could not know their name and gave them a

print- out of a study or two to indicate why I just could not remember all their names.

Generally, I get along fine. However, there are some embarrassing moments, but most of the time

things go fine. Further, I now have had an extra ten years to live. That's not a bad trade.