The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

We got an early start with a 4:30 A.M. wake up and arrived at the Surgery Center at 5:50 A.M. All the paperwork was completed yesterday so we just needed to check in and pick up the texting beeper which provides patient updates to the onsite family member - that would be me. We also got a repeat of the instructions on how to read the status board that shows where Renee will be. At 6:36 A.M. Renee was called back to pre-op. She changed to her hospital gown and was set up with an IV tube. Yes, they missed on the first two tries but got a good vein on the third. The nurse said that they’d most likely sink another line in after the anesthesia was administered, something about expanding veins while under the influence of the sleep-aide.

They kicked me out a little before 7:00 when transport came to take Renee to the Operating Room holding pen. I headed to the cafeteria and received a text at 8:20 that she was taken to the OR. At 8:54 the blue beeper lit up again saying only, “Surgery begun.” Then another text at 9:47, “surgery continuing & going well.”

Some of my previous complaints about having all this technology but still keeping the family in the dark by not utilizing it properly may have been heeded. I’m sure I’m not the only one who let them know what a waste it was to carry around a device that was relegated to the same status as a restaurant pager.

We were told going in that the procedure would take between two-and-a-half to four hours. The next text I got was at 12:49, “Starting to finish surgery now.” At 12:55 I was paged to the desk for a call from the surgeon. He was quick and curt but provided the essential information I needed. The surgery is over and went well and Renee is doing fine. He told me I would be able to see her in about an hour after she wakes from anesthesia.

Renee spent the next 6 hours in the PACU – Post Anesthesia Care Unit. At 5: 25 I was allowed to spend a whole five minutes with her - groggy is an understatement. They told me she may have to spend the night there due to lack of space. I’m not sure why there was no room immediately available. The operation was booked months in advance and they have an entire floor for colorectal surgery patients. A little over an hour later they found her a room. It is not on the colorectal floor, it is in the Transplant Special Care Unit. Did she get some new parts they didn’t tell us about?

She was still out of it when they got her settled and I made sure that all was as well as it could be before I snuck out to grab a bite and shake off the waiting room blues.