Unexpected

We had a bit of an unexpected visit to the hospital yesterday.  CH has been complaining off and on for a while about some stomach pain.  He thought he had food poisoning over the weekend (and blamed it on one of my favorite places to eat), but by Tuesday wasn't over it.  He isn't the kind of person to run to the doctor over just anything, but he called the doctor on Tues. morning for an appointment.  He went directly from the general practitioner to the surgeon, who wanted to take out his gall bladder that day, but CH had some loose ends to tie up at work.  So, we were at the hospital at 12:30 on Wed.; his surgery was scheduled for 1:00.  There was a full house in the waiting room.  An entire extended family was in the back corner; it looked like there were 3 generations of that family camped out.  They had thermoses of coffee and a picnic; they were literally camped out.
While we're waiting for CH to be called back for prep, one of the nurses went to a family member and asked for their loved one's bag.  Because she wanted her lipstick before she went under.   Guess she figured that if she was going to go, it was going to be with her lipstick on!  CH & I, along with another family, got a good chuckle out of that.  CH started talking to the man next to him; he, his dad, and 2 sisters were waiting for their mother  (and wife) to be finished with surgery.
CH was taken back for prep around 3:00; they put someone else in front of him.  When they called the other guy back, he appeared to be in a lot of pain, holding his right side.  CH said that when they were prepping him, he was making a lot of noise and told the nurses that he didn't like to be touched.  When someone asked about giving him pain meds, CH looked at his nurse and told her to give it to him and put it on his bill so he would shut up!
This hospital has a really neat screen on the wall in the waiting room.  It looks like a huge flatscreen on the wall because, well, that's what it is.  When you check in at the waiting room, you're handed a chart with different colors on it; each color symbolizes what stage of the process the patient is in.  There's also a code on the card for each patient to maintain privacy.
CH told me that the surgeon said the entire surgery should only take about 45 minutes.  CH's code stayed on red (meaning he was in surgery) for about 2 hours.  I was just about to get a little concerned.  When the surgeon talked to me after the surgery, he told me that the gall bladder was in really bad shape, and it took him about 40 minutes just to remove it.  So, it looks like it was a good thing he went ahead and had it removed.
Around 2:00, there was a volunteer shift change in the waiting room.  And, who should walk in, but a former band mom from my high school days!  This woman just happens to be the MIL of Joyce, and the mother of Tempo and Speed.  Oh, the stories this woman can tell!  (Don't worry you 2, I won't go into them!)  It was nice to catch up, and she let me know that I didn't need to worry when CH had been "in the red" for 2 hours!
After I talked to the surgeon, I went down to the deli and grabbed something to eat.  As I was eating, a man knocked on the window as he was walking by.  I looked up, and it was the man that CH had been talking to in the waiting room.  It strikes me as funny that you can feel a bit of a connection with people when you're put in a certain situation.  Anyway, when I looked up, the man smiled and waved like we had known each other forever.
When I was able to go back to sit with CH, the recovery nurse met me in the hall and told me that she thought he was a bit annoyed with her.  When I asked why, she said that he said he was hungry and wanted a cheeseburger which she wasn't about to get for him!  (He didn't remember any of this, by the way.)  He had to settle for crackers and sprite.  The doctor came in and talked to him (he didn't remember this either), and I told him about 3 times what the doctor had said.  He asked me about it again this morning.  I think he finally remembers it!
Before we went to the hospital, CH made sure MS & YS had money for lunch and supper.  Which is a good thing, because I really thought that we'd be home for supper.  We got home around 7:30, which is a fast turnaround when you consider that they started operating on him at 4:30 or so.  As we walked in, YS was heating up some dinner, so I guess he opted to pocket his money for something in the future!  He knows how to work it!
So, to wrap it up in the style of A Ro:  CH had a whirwind of doctors' visits followed by a cholecystectomy (yes, I googled the technical term).  Had a great time catching up with 2 of my favorite bloggers' mother/MIL; heard some stories that won't be repeated.  Made new "friends" in the waiting room; answered repeated questions from CH...patiently.  (Okay, maybe with just a bit of a chuckle after the 3rd time!)  Came home to find YS has pocketed money for supper in order to fund some future fun.  Yep, that just about wraps up my yesterday!

18 comments:

  1. WOW!! What a day! Glad your hubs is doing well, he'll still need lots of TLC for a while Ms. Nurse...When my dh had surgery last week I waited all by myself. I couldn't help but notice all the families gathered together in the waiting room. That would have been us if we were still living in Tulsa, but when your family is a couple of states away it is quite different.

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  2. That was an adventure, huh? It sounds like he didn't need to wait another day to have that removed. I pray he has a very speedy and complete recovery. Hope you are getting some rest today!

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  3. Oh my gosh...you DO live in a SMALL town. :)
    So glad your hubby is getting better and that is was not more serious!

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  4. That's quite a day! Hope he continues to do well now.

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  5. That was definitely a whirlwind of a day lady! WOW! I'm so glad everything turned out well. At least you don't break out into hives like I do every time I enter a hospital. It even happened while waiting on Hubs' to have a routine test a couple of years ago. I don't do well in hospitals.

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  6. Sounds like you made the best of a difficult situation! Prayers for quick healing for your hubby...such a great support network you've got there!!

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  7. It's amazing how God works things out, eh? Keeping the hubster in my prayers!!

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  8. So glad that in spite of the lengthy time in the OR, his surgery went well. Praying for a quick, easy recovery. {{hug}}

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  9. Glad everything went well!

    My Wednesday seems so dull now.

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  10. Wishing your hubby a speedy recovery. Glad his surgery went well.

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  11. oh my. bless your heart. glad he is doing better now.

    joyce's MIL? what a small world!

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  12. Gah, what a crazy day for you guys! Glad his surgery went well. I had one of those surgeries myself and can never remember what it is called! haha

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  13. What a day you had. So glad that he is okay and everything went well. I am still so surprised in what I just read. Unbelievable.

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  14. When I was reading this, it sounded just like something an entire movie could be made out of..24 hours of life.

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  15. Yikes! I'm glad he's okay! What a crazy day!

    I had to laugh a little at the lipstick comment. I think I might be the same way. ;o)

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  16. That's some drama I can do without! Glad all went well.

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