“S-S Day” – Suzy’s Surgery Day

The alarm went off at 3:30 this morning. I stumbled out, turned on the coffee and the heat, then returned to bed to wait. By 4:00 all was ready, and we headed to the living room. Suzy set up our daily pills plus enough to carry us over two nights if necessary. While she was thus engaged, I got onto our emails, morning comic strips (Luann, For Better or For Worse, Zits, Pickles, Stone Soup) and blog reading. At 5:30 I made breakfast (bananas, sausages, hard boiled eggs, toast, milk) so Suzy would be able to fast for 8 hours before surgery, scheduled for 2:00 in the afternoon.

After breakfast we packed up, Suzy for the hospital, me for Inn Suites a couple of miles away. By 9;15 we were on the road to the far side of Tucson and the Northwest Medical Center, with a first stop to register me at the motel. At 11:45 we checked in at the hospital, Suzy was called into the inner sanctum for weighing, measuring, undressing and hooking up. Shortly I was allowed to join her while the nurse did paper work, the surgeon signed her shoulder, and the anesthesiologist made her read the list of things that could go wrong.

Soon I was dismissed to wait. And as i write this (3:00pm) I’m still waiting. Dr. Butler should be out shortly to tell me how it went. Am i on pins and needles? Dr. Butler has a good reputation, the medical center is highly regarded. The sun is shining, the weather is perfect. Heck YES I’m on pins and needles!!! Where is that doctor?

We’ll just wait, you and I, until we hear something.

3:30: Dr. Butler came out, told me the surgery went well, Suzy is resting in Recovery. I’ll be able to see her in maybe 30 minutes. The shoulder was tight, the tissues in front weak; she’ll need lots of physical therapy, but the new joint is in place.

4:45: I’m told Suzy just asked for pain medication, and is back to sleep. As soon as she is assigned to a room, they’ll notify me.

5:15: Suzy is in Room 255. Wait a few minutes then go up.

5:20: I go up, see Suzy, then get kicked out of the room because Rick, her nurse, still has certain duties to perform.

5:30: I can go in now. Five minutes later, Suzy’s dinner arrives, a nice plate of eye of round roast (very tender, low on salt) with roasted potatoes, a side of vegetables, a small apple dessert, and a cup of cranberry juice. With a little help, Suzy eats most of it, falling asleep twice during the dessert.

6:30: Suzy is in fine spirits, has a morphine pump she uses industriously to keep the pain level under control, but continues to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. OK, I’ll leave now, get back to the motel and get some sleep.

Thanks for following along, and special thanks to those of you who took the time to leave comments or messages of support for Suzy. She and I appreciate your generosity during this speed bump in … Our Life on Wheels.