A Long, Long Day

We were up early, very early, like 3:45 AM early. Into the shower and out the door by 5 AM. No need to worry about breakfast, Forry hasn't had anything to eat or drink since late the evening before.

We had checked out the route yesterday and, just as the Security Guard had told us, found a Handicapped parking spot right in front of the building. Up a couple floors we went and the pre-op stuff began. There's always a glitch or two. Today's was the staff not being able to find the EKG that Forry had done on the 21st, They had the report, but not the actual pictures. So in came a tech to quickly do a new one! Forry got a hexachlorophene back scrub and an IV started. Dr. Powers came to visit and get the permission form signed. When I wished him Good Luck, he said there was no luck involved - just lots of experience and expertise. He said he had been intensely reviewing Forry's MRI the last couple of days and had decided he would be focusing mostly on L3,4 & 5.

The nurse anesthetist slipped a little happy juice into his IV and after a good-bye kiss, they wheeled him off down the hall. And the long wait began.

There is a large comfortable waiting area where I finally get a cup of coffee and settle in. When you arrive, they give you a patient number and you can follow your patient's progress on the board in the hall just like at the airport. It shows if the patient is in prep; in procedure: or in recovery.
Finally, at about 11:30, I get a call from the surgery nurse saying that they have finished their work on the front of the spine ( through the side incision) and are now repositioning him to start working from his back.

It's a long time until I get another call. Finally, at a quarter to two, a different nurse  calls and says things are going well and that Dr Powers says it will be another couple of hours... I have been using Facebook's Messenger to send out a group update. It seems to work well to keep everyone informed and I only have to send a couple of emails and texts to update the few who aren't on Facebook.

FINALLY, at about ten after four, Dr Powers shows up in the waiting room to tell me he is finished. He seems pretty confident that he's been able to make "lots more room" for those compressed spinal nerves. He said Forry was in Recovery and was waking up a little.

The nice ladies in the waiting room tell me he's going to be in Room 819 in the N Tower and that I can go up there to wait. At last, while I'm Skyping with Granddaughter Havela, I hear the stretcher coming. They gather a crew and log-roll Foory into bed. It's wonderful to see his smile! We are blessed!