Light, Love, Hope

I have never looked more forward to 7 a.m. than I did when my loved one was in the hospital after major surgery.  Two days of being in the hospital, day and night, with little sleep was wearing on the three of us.  We were looking forward to the doctor appearing in the doorway to advise whether today would be the day my loved one would be discharged.

With blurry vision, I saw a tall figure enter the room.  I sprang from the hard leather couch I attempted to sleep on, only to find it was the male nurse and not the doctor.  Trying to disguise my disappointment, we small talked about how our day was starting, then he disappeared into the hallway.

I walked over to retrieve the menu to order breakfast for the patient as we waited.  I dialed the number and gave the order to the friendly voice on the other end of the line.  Within minutes, the doctor entered with his hairnet, scrubs, and mask.  As he began speaking, he revealed today would be the day we got to leave, blow this joint, get out of jail, well, you get the idea.  We were free to go!!  Woo hoo!

Walking around the room, I gathered our belongings and packed them in the large black bag.  Then, we waited for the nurse to get the discharge papers ready.  They reminded us how busy they were and said it would be after lunch before they could discharge us.  We made the best of it by listening to music on my cell phone until they finally came back around with discharge instructions.  Shortly thereafter, we were wheeling the Burgundy Tahoe up to the circle driveway to retrieve our beloved, who was waiting in the parked wheelchair with a hospital volunteer nearby.  Pretty soon, the vehicle was packed, patient was seat belted in, and we were on our way home!  Thank you, Jesus!

On the morning of my loved one’s surgery, it seemed like anything that could go wrong did!  We were originally told to report at 9:00 a.m., then 9:15 a.m.  Driving from an hour away, you have to anticipate traffic delays, which we did.  However, another family member traveling with us had bathroom issues that delayed us further. Instead of hitting the interstate, we had to go the opposite way to find a bathroom.  Ugh!  We made it just in time but had to call the manager of Pre-Op/Recovery at the hospital to let them know we would not be arriving until 9:30 a.m.   With the surgery slated for 11:15 a.m., we were still good on the time.

Once at the hospital, we encountered one administrative staff after another policing us on the Covid restrictions in place.  I spent a solid week trying to get the Covid exemption so two members of the family could be present due to the wife of the patient having somewhat of a disability requiring my assistance in order to be present.  I sent an email to a man who helped us previously with another situation, and he circulated the email to the Vice President.  My email ended up making its way to the manager of Pre-Op and Recovery, to the doctor performing the surgery as well as to the charge nurse on the surgical floor.  The vice president agreed to allow a Covid exemption.  All medical staff were aware.  It was the administrative staff at the entrance of the hospital, information desk, and at the desk in Pre-Op/Recovery giving us trouble.  It was a fight when it did not need to be!  I had to give names of the staff who knew of the Covid exemption to get past the bulldogs.  Obviously, these people were left out of the loop on pertinent information pertaining to our unique case.  I tried to remain imperturbable through it all, but after the fourth person agrued with me over this, I admit my patience were wearing thin at that point.  It was almost as if these people took a class on being argumentative.  They must have all been straight A students for sure, if that was the case.

Waiting in the surgical lobby is stressful enough without all of this going on!  You wait to hear how the person is doing before, during and after surgery.  The medical team did a great job keeping us updated, which helped calm our nerves somewhat.

After learning he was out of surgery but having trouble waking up in recovery, I fought yet again with another of the administrative staff.  He was to be transferred to the sixth floor, and we were being directed to the floor not knowing if we would be allowed to stay with him in his room or not.  We were lectured about the Covid protocols and restrictions, even though we explained the vice president allowed an exemption for us so two people could be present under the unique circumstances.  It was truly tiring to fight this hard over something that was taken care of at a much higher level.

Once up on the sixth floor, though, we did not encounter any problems whatsoever from the nurses, the techs, etc.  All of the medical team were wonderful, and it reassured us that our loved one was in good hands.  They not once told us we couldn’t be there, didn’t lecture us and didn’t try to eject us from his room.  We were greeted with warmth and kindness.  He had to be in the hospital for two nights, and they made us feel as welcome as possible while we were his “guest” in the hospital.  This was certainly appreciated so I could focus more on caring for them between nurses making their rounds instead of arguing why I needed to be there in the first place.

One cannot rest in a hospital setting, so the first night it seemed the hands on the clock were barely moving at all.  I recall at 8 p.m. looking at the clock as he exclaimed in his medicated state, “It’s ONLY 8 p.m.?!  It’s going to be a LONG night!”  And it was …

By the second night, we were so wore out we all but passed out from exhaustion.  Stronger pain medicine was given to the patient, which allowed a good night’s sleep.  Their snoring was music to our ears, as we were so thankful their surgery was a success and they were still with us!

You come across a variety of people when working with the public.  Some you encounter are extremely pleasant, while others leave a lot to be desired.  You never know what to expect!

I recall a gentleman who called the law firm back in December on behalf of his mother.  We set up an appointment with the attorney and had the paperwork prepared prior to their arrival.  At the scheduled time, a tall gentleman entered the office to make sure he was in the right place.  Once he was certain he had the right office, he stepped out into the hallway.  Shortly thereafter, a petite elderly lady, full of elegance and grace, appeared in our doorway.  Instantly, I was struck by her well groomed appearance and red suit she wore.  We offered her a seat while giving her son the paperwork. As I waited for the paperwork be completed, I attempted to make small talk while inquiring on her age.  I was quite surprised to learn she was 97 years old and making arrangements should she require the assistance of a nursing home later in life.

Now, this lady certainly did not look her age at all.  I watched in awe as she moved around the office as she left the lobby and entered the attorney’s office.  One would expect someone of that age to require assistance getting around.  She carried a cane but rarely used it.  Even her son had to remind her later to get the cane prior to exiting our office after their appointment was complete.  She was definitely independent and still lived alone.  I was dumbfounded!

Once their appointment was coming to an end, the attorney asked her the secret to her longevity.  She replied, with a laugh, “Aggravation.”  We laughed with her but never fully understood what she meant by that comment.  Did she mean aggravation from others, or did she mean she was the one causing the aggravation?  Later, we laughed at the thought of this perfectly poised lady causing trouble.

May we ALL be blessed to enjoy 97 or maybe even 100 years of life.