Tracey Updates

8:25am     Tracey called to let me know about her night. She hasn’t slept at all. Wants me to put off coming in so she can nap.

10:20am    Arrived at hospital, intending to sit in a waiting room. Poked my head around the curtain to check on Tracey and she looked very peaceful – playing Hay Day. Her excuse? “The crops aren’t going to harvest themselves.”

10:25am  Nothing is going the way I thought it would today. Firstly, Tracey’s op has been bumped to after lunch – although I must say it’s nice to not be considered urgent. Secondly, Tracey’s spent the night prepping for her op and it was awful. Not for her, though, because it’s all come out her bag instead of her bum. It’s so unfair because I was looking forward to her finally knowing how horrible it is for me before a colonoscopy.

10:35am   Tracey asked me to look after her ring. Given my track record, though, I don’t know I’m the man for the job. A nurse just walked in, saw it and said, “She’s trusting you with it, is she?” My reputation precedes me, or Tracey dobbed me in….mmmmm

11:30am     We just had word they’re on there way to get her.

11:55am     She’s off to surgery ? Making me chuckle even as they wheeled her away. “Drive it like you stole it,” she said to the wardsman when the bed vibrated its way over a metal join in the carpet.

1:15pm     Just ran across Herbert in the hospital foyer, one of Tracey’s fantastic nurses from her stay in ICU last year. He remembered me! Just goes to show how much these people care about the people they help. Speaking of ICU, I’ve set myself up a little nest in the waiting room there. I’ve walked around trying spots for the last hour and nothing feels right. This place is a comfort.

2:05pm     I’m out of Pokeballs.

2:55pm     Not looking good. I can reach a Pokestop from the ICU waiting room, but the damn thing keeps throwing up potions and those berry things. No news on Tracey yet.

3:20pm      Lady pushing a wheelchair goes by just as the guys next to me are discussing an event. “Good to see bums on seats,” one of them says.  Awkward.

4:05pm     Sitting by Tracey’s bed, waiting. Four hours since she disappeared down the hall. Shouldn’t be long now. In other news, I had a nice Asian noodle soup for lunch from the food court downstairs but it has raised a question – is ramen Japanese for laxative?

6:00pm      Tracey is out of surgery but not back in the ward yet. Dr Brown phoned and said, typically of Tracey, it was more complicated than expected and took an extra couple of hours than they thought. Her bowel was a mess – it had attached itself to itself in six spots. I’m picturing a rats nest sort of thing. Her surgeon was scratching his head over her not having shown any symptoms. The good news is the skin graft is gone and it all came together nicely. I was going to drive home tonight, but I’ve decided to stay down another night. Just lucky we have so much support from family and friends I have the option.

6:40pm     Recovery nurse just phoned to say Tracey is awake and will be back in her room soon, but she didn’t want to talk to me because she has a tube down her throat. I know how much she loved that thing last time. I might tiptoe out of here and go home after all.

8:10pm     She’s back! She’s asleep! She’s talking! Well, murmuring. She’s doing the breathing thing! She’s seriously, fabulously, awesomely here! And rather wonderfully, she is….BAGLESS !!!

So glad today’s over. For a woman who constantly claims to be low maintenance, she sure is making the doctors work for their suppers.

Raising a family on little more than laughs

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