Here we sit once again in a hospital waiting room. Although in a different room on a different floor, the reasons are still the same. Waiting while Dad has surgery. Waiting to be informed of the results of the surgery. Waiting to see Dad in the recovery room.
This summer after receiving a pacemaker, having a triple bypass, and being in the hospital for a 10-week stretch, Dad is in the final stage of resolving all of his known health issues--colon surgery. Removing the large mass that has caused his anemia since first being diagnosed in April. Not encouraging news back then with regard to the tumor being cancerous, but the doctor believed it was localized. Hopefully that part will still be the case.
As we sat, Don made a crack that it was nice being together to visit. I call it a crack because we were sitting there in silence--Don on his laptop writing articles for the school district, Mom reading, and me writing a blog. However, we had just had a long visit on Saturday, so it didn’t appear rude, but we did talk a little more as the time dragged on.
After about three hours, the doctor informed us that Dad was doing fine and the surgery went as expected. The surgeon still believes the tumor is cancerous but that will be a pathologist’s call and those results will be known sometime next week. Dr. S said we’ll just take this one day at a time. Since Dad could be in recovery a good three hours, Don took us to lunch at the Yard House in downtown Long Beach. Although Mom and I weren’t too hungry, according to Don--we all seemed to “do some damage.”
Returned to the hospital two hours later. Dad was still in recovery and could only have one visitor. It made sense to let Mom be the one to go. She came back through the double doors after only a few minutes. Dad was not at all comfortable and drifting in and out of sleep. Don tried to go see him so he could head back home but the nursing staff was busy with Dad--probably checking vitals and administering some more “happy juice.“ We all decided to head on home.
Received a call from a staff member that Dad was now in a hospital room. Mom and I will go see him for a little while. Think we can take a deep breath and sigh of relief that the home stretch is near. It’s been quite an ordeal these last few months, especially for Mom. She seems so tired today.
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There is no tired like "hospital waiting room tired," in my opinion. Later in my ministry years, with the exception of close friends, I just did not go do that waiting w/ families. Too much for this older preacher! Sure hoping for good results on that pathology report.
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