Good News

Skip had her flap surgery yesterday and it went well. A quick recap of the day:

• Got up at 5:15 to get the day going. Aide came at 8:15 to bathe and dress Skip. We left the house at 9:45, right on schedule.
• Arrived at BWH at 10:30. Admitting saw us at 11:30 and then a few minutes later, we went to the pre-op area. They transferred Skip onto a gurney and I got her changed. The pre-op nurse asked a million questions. The OR nurse came in and introduced herself and asked more questions. The residents came in and enthusiastically said "hi." The plastic surgeon came in and marked Skip's right side to make sure the surgery was done there. The anesthesiologist came in and asked the same million questions then started up an IV and took Skip off to surgery at 12:30.
• I went up to the family waiting area. Nice! They gave me a pager like you'd get in a restaurant while waiting for a table. There were carrels with computers for surfing the web, tables for comfortable eating, separate areas with overstuffed chairs, consultation rooms for private meetings with surgeons and, best of all, two separate rooms for tv watching. This left the main waiting room free of the constant tv noise you'd often find in this setting.
• At 1:30, only an hour after Skip was whisked off to the OR, the surgeon called to say everything had gone well. Great!
• But there was still more waiting, as I didn't get to see Skip in recovery until 4pm. She was still a bit sedated, so was quite mellow and sweet when I saw her. I should say here that I'm so glad we live in the times we do because there's no need for us to hide the nature of our relationship in settings like a hospital. I tell everyone that I'm Skip's wife and know that informs folks immediately of our family connection and legal standing in case of important health decisions.
• At 6:30 or 7:00, a bed finally became available and Skip got transferred up to her room. A bit after 7, I knew she was definitely fully with-it because she started to get a bit cranky. They gave her the first bit of pain medication since coming out of surgery and she started to feel better after that.
• She sent me home at 8:30. Wow! It got cold and windy during the day. Looks like we're actually going to have winter here in southern New England after all.

With everything going swimmingly in yesterday's surgery, I expect Skip will come home on Monday. The pups and I will be glad. While it is nice here at home to have some peace and quiet, it'll be good to have Skip home. I know she is getting good care at the hospital, but it's nothing compared to the kind of care and attention she can get here when she's gone past the initial phase of her recovery.

I'll go in to the hospital this afternoon to visit. I expect feeding herself will be a real challenge for Skip, especially as she can't fully lie on her back yet, so we'll order her a good-sized lunch while I'm there and I can help her eat. Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay and watch tonight's Patriots game with her. Watching the game alone just won't be the same; the dogs won't be as responsive to my growls when bad things happen and cheers when it's good. A small price to pay to have Skip's pressure sore cleaned out and on its way to a good healing.