Monday, January 26, 2015

He's A Tough One, That Man

Ah. We are home and have been so for several hours.
The surgery went well and quickly, too, once it got started. They have these monitors in the surgical waiting room now and you get a patient number and you can look and see if they are still in surgical holding or in the OR or if surgery has started or finished and then when they are taken to Recovery.
All very modern and convenient and the coffee in there still tastes like burnt shit.

God, I hate that room. Some people seem to think it's Party Time! when a loved one is undergoing the knife or a procedure. One family had a clan there as well as a pastor who was wearing one of the worst rugs I'd ever seen. In my life. Oh dear. Well. I ended up knowing about the daddy of the family across from me who was getting an MRI and he was dying of a brain tumor and they'd lived on a toxic waste dump site for years but no one told them and now everyone who lived there is getting horrible diseases. They are going to sue. I sure as fuck don't blame them.

I ran into a woman I've vaguely known for about thirty years or more whose daughter is probably brain dead from things I don't feel comfortable going into but she was drinking coffee, the woman I vaguely know, and saying, "But I'm the mother! I don't give up! Miracles do happen! I'm not going to put her down like a dog! I don't even put my dogs down!"
Oh god. Broke my heart. And what do you say? She won't even go home to take a shower and has been at the hospital since last Saturday. I hugged her and told her I'd be thinking of her. She asked me to pray for her daughter and I didn't know what to say so I just hugged her again, my eyes filled with tears.

And there were at least two more stories I heard, neither of these as awful but still, enough to make me so fucking grateful that I was there for the reason I was and not one of these horrible, dire situations.

The nurse who admitted Mr. Moon at six a.m. was a bit too perky. She came extremely close to what I would call, "Slappable."
But she was trying and she did a fine job and of course everyone on the floor had to ask my husband how tall he was and WHERE DID HE GET HIS SHOES? OH MY GOD! I'VE NEVER SEEN SHOES THAT BIG! and so forth. A little much at six a.m.

Various of my kids offered to come and sit with me but that damn surgical waiting room was crowded enough and I just sat there by myself, not really nervous anyway, just becoming sadder and more annoyed by all the people and some of them were actually laughing and well, that's all right. I don't know. I was tired.

Eventually, the doctor came out and told me how everything had gone, ("He did real well. He behaved himself the the whole time." Hahahaha!) which was fine and they've put him all back together again. He gave me some post-op instructions and advice and said that he'd probably be in Recovery for an hour and then I called Jessie and she jumped on her bike and came and met me. By the time we got back up to the room where he was going to be after he got out of Recovery, he was already there, looking good. The nurses became concerned about his heart rate which was, to put it mildly, extremely low. Slow. Whatever. But his Oxygen saturation was 99% and when he got up to go use the bathroom he didn't feel faint or woozy or dizzy and his color was good. Still, though, after three different nurses and/or techs took his pulse, they decided an EKG was in order.
This did not sit well with my husband.
"I'm fine!" he said. "I just have a low heart rate." And he does.
They kept asking him if he was a jogger or a runner.
By the time the EKG guy got to the room with his little machine, Jessie had informed her daddy that he could refuse it if he wanted to. And so he did. And then his heart rate came up nicely and we got to leave.

Yippie!

We stopped by Publix and I got his pain med prescription filled and then we came home and I tucked him in bed with tea and ginger ale and the ice bag and the remote and he's been there ever since. Well, except for getting up a few times and once going outside to fill his bird feeders.
The doctor said that walking was the best thing he could do. And so he shall walk. We're about to take a walk around the yard. A sunset walk.

I am so damn grateful that this is behind us. I was never really worried but hey- surgery.

So we had our walk around our little manor, looking at coming buds and the trillium which is already sprung forth and the chickens and the ducks and the trees.


There's that sweet man. I've made him chicken soup which is what he wanted tonight and we'll eat some and hopefully get to bed early. I'm exhausted. I wanted so badly to lay down but I knew if I did I would not wake up until morning so I've kept moving, making the soup, tidying, taking care of the man, watering the plants, starting laundry.
It will be so nice to lay down beside him tonight, knowing we can sleep until we don't want to any more with our cat beside us. She was so kind to me last night, Maurice was. She curled right up under my arm and let me pet her and pet her. She seems to know when I need that although for all I know, she was just itchy. Whatever, I did need the comfort of her silky fur, her warmth. And she allowed me to have it.

Another day in the life. And here we are and isn't that fine?
I think so. I really do.

Love...Ms. Moon





25 comments:

  1. I am so happy things turned out ok, hospitals can be awful. I went to the dentist for the last trip for this procedure, no panic at all! Now to look for a better one closer to home. Gail

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  2. Surgery for Mr Moon!!! Oh,i haven't been keeping up. First it was the ducks, now this.

    I'm so glad all is well in Floyd. Here in the NW it's 60 degrees all week. WTF?

    XXXX B

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  3. I'm so glad that things went well for Mr. Moon and you. I remember when my husband had heart surgery many, many years ago. I was in the waiting room with his mother and my best friend. I was so light and breezy about it all until I went to the recovery room. When I saw him, it hit me like a ton of bricks and I started crying, but didn't want him to hear me. I always wonder if while we were waiting room my MIL wanted me to just "shape up" already. She knew what was at stake, and I was just in denial at that point. Love to you, Mr. Moon, and Maurice!

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  4. I'm glad it went well. Get some rest - both of you!

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  5. I'm with the rest of the group here and had to stop in to read of the day and to say I'm glad it went well. Sleep well you two.

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  6. Of course chicken soup. That's a wonderful picture. And slappable at
    6 AM --- oh, how easy that is to imagine. If only hospitals understood how to be healing places,
    from the architecture to the personnel. But you're home.

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  7. I am so very relieved! Now you try and go get yourself a much needed and well deserved rest! X

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  8. Thank you for the update, I have had yall on my mind & in my thoughts all day. So very relieved to hear all is well. Yes surgical waiting rooms are a beast unto their own...stressful, boring, a definite challenge. Sending happy, healing vibes to Mr. Moon for a quick recovery & hopefully back to hunting & all the other stuff he loves to do very soon!
    Angie

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  9. I too am glad it went well and is over. Sad sad waiting room stories. Sleep well. Sweet Jo

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  10. Hey, surgery, indeed. Glad this was no big thing. Blessing upon the two of you, Mr. 'n Mrs. Moon. xoxoxox

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  11. It is a sweet feeling to have something worrisome done and over. Sleep tight. Glad it went well.

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  12. soooo glad it's over and went well!

    And those toxic dump people? GODDAMN. That's the kind of shit that made me become a lawyer. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL.

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  13. Hospitals are different planets. Soemtimes with aliens. I am happy for you that it's all over.

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  14. Wishing Mr. Moon a speedy recovery. I know he is getting the best possible TLC, and I'm sure he's not the kind to take that for granted.

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  15. So glad that all went well. I am glad that he is home and taking it easy. No need to do anything but eat, rest and walk some. My best to both of you.

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  16. I'm so glad it's behind you two as well, and that Mr. Moon is feeling fine. I loved your descriptions of the waiting room folk. Well, as much as it's possible to love something so sad. Those awful hospital personnel reminded me of this running gag on Arrested Development. This isn't the best example, but it's the only one I could find:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_HD2MMNv_c

    Sending love to the both of you.

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  17. I'm so glad it went well and I hope you both got a very good night's sleep.

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  18. glad it was quick and easy with no complications. cats are ver intuitive. when I got bit by that copperhead 3 years ago, Emma the cat stayed right by my side for three days, getting up only to go to the bathroom and eat.

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  19. I can't believe he's up and about! My husband was a total baby when he had his done. Hospitals are dreadful places. I'm glad you both got through it.

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  20. Glad to hear mr. Moon is ok and what size shoes does he wear?

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  21. So glad all is well and so cool how jessie "doula'd" for her dad!! My hubs had it done and then years later appendix and other oddball stuff. How does mr moon fit on their hospital bed?
    Michele r

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  22. I am so glad to hear the surgery is over and all went well. Hospital waiting rooms are always dreadful places. No one is happy to be there and everyone is on edge and trying too hard.

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  23. Gail- Closer to home is always good.

    Bella Rum- Thank you! Me too!

    Beth Coyote- He is fine. Enjoy your lovely temperatures!

    Sylvia- Denial is a very worthy crutch in my opinion. I use it daily. And I completely understand your story.

    Allison- WE DID!

    Jill- Possibly the best sleep of my life.

    A- And our discharge nurse was absolutely the opposite. I could not get a rise out of her for anything. I sort of loved her.

    Camille- Eleven hours of rest!

    Angie D- It was an experience. I swear.

    Sweet Jo- As I said, hospitals are the Temples of Doom.

    Denise- Thank you, sweetness.

    Angella- My dreams are hardly ever sweet but boy, are they interesting!

    Jenny_o- Amen!

    NOLA- They were speaking of an attorney and yes, she was a woman.

    Sabine- Aliens, indeed. And such tragedy, all in one room. Hard to bear.

    Joan- He got a bit cranky. I put him in his place. But mostly, he has been a very sweet patient. Mostly compliant. Mostly.

    Syd- Thank you, dear friend!

    Ms. Vesuvius- Okay. That made me laugh. "He's going to be all right."
    Ha!

    Stephanie- The very best sleep.

    Ellen Abbott- I think you are right. Maurice always seems to know when we really need her.

    Heartinhand- Mr. Moon just hates being puny and as such, he denies he is. That's just him.

    Not Blank- 16's.

    Michele r- Jessie is such a sweet girl. And she makes us laugh. As to the bed question- he does NOT fit on those beds. That's the answer.

    Steve Reed- In my opinion, some of them could have tried a little more. But we all react to stress and worry in different ways. I do know that.

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