Life, the universe, and lunch

Waiting to get hosed

So we're at the hospital and it's already been a mini ordeal, though not for reasons you might expect. I finally got the call about 10:00 a.m. this morning that Tam should be there at 2:00 this afternoon. So after lunch I began the laborious process known as sitting at my desk and marking time, until heading off to grab Tam. I marked too much time though and left at 1:30, right about when I planned to be picking her up. Ooops. I guess it's because I'm not exactly looking forward to this...

So I get to the home and now I'm in a hurry, and Tam wants to tell me about something instead of letting me get her loaded into her travel chair. Frustration is growing. I get her loaded up and grab her transfer papers from the nurse and ask her where we're going. Grand River Hospital is the only answer we're given. This is gonna be rich...

So we get there and go in the main doors but no-one is at the information desk and we have to grab the white phone to switchboard. All they can tell me though is the doctor's office number, and from the sound of it, straight from the phone book. So I call it and his receptionist tells me we should go to the emergency department, which at GRH means that you go outside, around the building, and down a level. I go the interior way that we're not supposed to go (I'm pushing a wheelchair and the outside route is a long way when you can't take the stairs), and of course someone tells me to go outside and around. Fuck that!!!

I take a different hallway and we finally get to emerg, but of course no-one is at their desk either. I put our name down on the clipboard, and we wait. And wait. Finally someone comes out of the back and calls us by name, without even looking an the clipboard. Hmmm. Apparently we're not just meeting the surgeon today like I'd thought, but are actually booked for surgery! Admitting went looking for us after the nursing home told them we were on our way but then we hadn't shown up. Good catch! I'm glad the admitting lady found us and that she (and everyone else we've met since) was super nice, but damn -- couldn't we have been given a little more direction up front?

Anyways, the surgeon is great and possibly even younger than us (which surprised us a bit), and he explained the whole procedure, even taking extra time to answer Tam's questions which don't exactly come out easily these days. So here we are, consent forms filled out and Tam in a gown with an IV and oxygen, just waiting to be wheeled into surgery in another 45 minutes or so. Tam is scared and fidgety, I'm holding her hand on one side and blogging by phone on the other. (You sit in an uncomfortable chair for three hours and hold someone's hand, and see if you don't find something else to do too!) And another chapter of our lives is about to begin...

posted by ...K @ 5:54 PM