At 5:30 am the parking lot of the Orthopedic Hospital was empty. It was so empty that I wondered if we were in the right place. However, despite the open lot, the staff was there to greet us for our Covid-19 screening before admitting Bill for his knee surgery.
Bill kept this procedure on the downlow and I’ll keep it that way, just filling in a few sparse details. The new Ascension St. Vincent Orthopedic Hospital is beautiful. The staff was efficient, thorough and kind. Bill was asked multiple times why he was there, what his surgery site was and what his personal stats were. The repetitive questions would have been annoying under different circumstances but today it was reassuring. My favorite part was seeing his own signature in permanent marker on his leg indicating what part to treat.
My job involved a lot of sitting. I didn’t mind at all as I have a new sweater occupying my attention. I grabbed a cup of freshly brewed decaf Starbucks Pike Place from the cafeteria, “Bone Appetit.” I was just settled back in when I was summoned to speak to the surgeon for the post-op report. All went well. The doctor encountered what he expected and the surgery went as planned.
I met my very loopy husband in the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) and after a short while, we were rolling him out the car. Bill spent the rest of the day resting on the couch except for the few times he hobbled upstairs and the one time I caught him standing on Mason’s skateboard. (No kidding!)
I’m grateful he has a full long weekend to recover because as you can guess, he is not about to let a little surgery slow him down. He intends to be back at work on Tuesday, hoping that none of the staff will be the wiser to his hospital escapades.
Prayers for a quick recovery!