Gerry’s procedure today (it seems odd to call it a surgery) seemed to go pretty well, he was up and walking around a few hours afterward, and now we’re home, he’s resting, and we’ll see in the next few days whether it’s had a strong impact on his pain. We certainly hope so.
It’s so odd to face this – as minor as it is (I know, pain is NEVER minor – but in the scheme of illnesses there are other folks hurting more…) but what we both have to realize is that Gerry will probably never be the lifting and carrying guy he’s always been. Selfishly, I’m thinking about how it affects me – Gerry’s the one with the pain.
The experience at St. Joseph’s Hospital was so great! Everyone was – no surprise – very nice. The registration process was so different from registrations at St. B’s back in NJ for my procedures – the main difference being that we felt like human beings.
After Gerry was settled and had his IV put in, they directed me to a special surgical waiting room which was the nicest waiting room I’d ever seen. It was divided into small room-lets, largeish cubicles, nicely lit and with comfortable-yet-slightly-corporate furniture. Some of the cubicles had recliners, some had TV’s, some had kids toys.
We had to be ‘on the list’ to be allowed to wait in that room – but what a nice and humane thing, to allow folks do NOT want to leave the hospital while their loved ones are in surgery a comfortable place to sort of camp out. I watched a bit of Nurse Betty on TV, then the doctor – who looked 12 – came in to tell me that everything had gone well and we could go home after Gerry’d rested for a few hours.
Did I mention the Valet parking? The $3 Valet parking? The $3 Valet parking which was FREE when they validated the card up in surgery? AND they brought the car around to a different door (the nurse called down for me) that was easier for Gerry to manage.
It’s sad that such wonderful treatment is a source of amazement to me, but it is.
And I’m SO glad that we’re here to experience it. I’m still sort of burned up that the back SPECIALIST in NJ didn’t catch this, and even had Gerry do a few weeks of Physical Therapy (which would NOT have helped this condition) before we moved out here. Sheesh.
I did get a LOT of knitting done while waiting – it’s true that you do knit much faster in a hospital. I have to dig out my sewing machine and make up a suit I’m envisioning and an evening dress. I figure for the Project Runway audition I’ll bring a sewn garment, a knit garment, and a blended garment with both knit and stitching involved. I SO need a haircut.