Bugeyedmonster's Stomping Grounds

My mom's gallbladder surgery went fine. And I am so glad that I called into work yesterday and said I wouldn't be able to come in.

Someone from Methodist called the house very early. Not sure if it was my mom or someone else. While I was trying to dial my mom's room, the phone beeped due to an incoming call. My mom said that they had rescheduled her surgery for 8:30 am. So I went to go tell my dad and discovered that he had taken off to take grandpa's dog to the vet. Doggie has a collapsed disk and was supposed to be going back for an exam.

I called my dad, he said he would turn back around, and I called the vet to let them know of the changes. (Doggie will have to be rescheduled for Monday.)

I got dressed, but forgot to brush my teeth. I've also just remembered that I've forgotten my vitamins for the last few days....

We get to the surgery waiting room, and I ask the volunteer if there had been any calls for the family. There weren't any. We sit down and a minute later there is a call for my mom's family. (In the surgery waiting room, they announce the name of the person in surgery, and ask for those waiting with the person.)

That nurse had a good estimate of time. She said she called when she figured that we should have arrived in the waiting room.

Anyway, mom's gallbladder removal went fine. The gallbladder was a little inflamed but not infected (nor gangrened like my cousin's.)

Later I found out the reason for the surgery being rescheduled; The doc doing mom's surgery is a liver specialist, and he had a liver transfer coming in, so he wanted to get my mom's surgery out of the way.

And I just got a call that they will be transferring her back to the rehabilitation hospital today at 5:00 pm. I'll have to take her clothes back to her later tonight.

Well, my mom went into Methodist Dallas for surgery to remove more of the tumor January 24. She started having trouble with the right leg this time. She couldn't use her sewing machine because the tumor had grown back.

Doc Ostrow said that he would have to go back and cut out as much as he could of the tumor. (I didn't get to ask how much he cut out this time, and if it could grow back. My dad didn't let me get a question in edgewise.)

They did a whole bunch of testing the week before, so I had a really crazy week that week, trying to do both my jobs and helping my dad manage my mom's appointments.

My dad rented a wheelchair van so he could take her to appointments as she can't use her legs anymore and get in the car. But apparently the first time, my dad didn't secure my mom's wheelchair when he took her to an appointment. (I was sick and didn't go with them that first time.) I can just picture my mom trying to alert my dad to this fact, while he's driving along and can't hear her. There's got to be a comedy skit in there somewhere.

So I would hook and strap the wheelchair down, then belt her in. (An advantage of having ridden the bus, I know how to do all that from watching the bus driver.)

I've also been trying to get my mom to sign up for DART handi-rides. They have a 'thing' where the subscriber of the service, if they have an helper, the helper rides free.

So we had to be at the hospital about 7 am on the day of the surgery. They took her off for surgery at a little after nine. The surgery didn't take as long this time. Ostrow called for my dad and me a little after 11 am. But they didn't get a room for her in the "Neuroscience Center" until after 7 pm. They had wait for someone to be discharged. Yeah.

Plus I know that there was a group of black church women (who were with someone) who was also going into the neuro-care unit. (He had a brain tumor and they were in the waiting room before my dad and I got in there.) So we didn't get home until after 10 pm.

I wanted to ask Ostrow if the tumor would grow back again, how much it had grown, but I couldn't get a question in edge-wise with my dad's bad hearing. I'll try to remember to make a list of questions, and drop it off at his office.

I also can't remember right now who I told at the hospital, "My dad isn't ignoring you, he just can't hear you."

A man in the waiting room was telling the group he was with, about his experience with morphine. He had a couple heart attacks and had to have surgery. He started having paranoid delusions that the staff was out to kill him. If they took blood, he had to touch it to make sure it was really his blood. He had a friend who was retired military who would come by and pretend to stand guard (apparently that helped some.) He said he would beg his friend not to fall asleep because "they will kill you first, then kill me."

Once a male nurse was attempting to get him to go to sleep, and he told the guy, "I'm a customer here, you can't treat me like this!" and the nurse told him to "shut and go to sleep!"

He was with a younger woman (daughter, niece, I wasn't sure, but she seem to be a relative) and she mentioned how she and a young man (also with the group later) were always doing their best to be super nice to the staff, because of the way heart-attack guy had been acting, and she said that the staff was always bringing them snacks and drinks.

He said that they took him off the morphine a.s.a.p. I don't blame them.

The group with NoMorphineGuy was a pretty big group, and they actually brought pillows and blankets with them. They started out a small group, but more kept trickling in. One lady was saying she should have hired a pet sitter, while another lady said that her mother was dropping by to take her dogs out. A young couple with this group had brought their laptop for entertainment.

I was wishing I had hired a pet sitter too. Another reason I want to know if we are doing this again in four years time. Definitely hire a pet sitter next time.

I did a few small drawings, I should post those later.

They changed the seating in the waiting room. There are mostly chairs there now. And the few couches they had are sort of small and not very comfy. Of course, if you are really sleepy, you can still fall asleep on them. I had worked at Kohl's the night before.

They used to have big soft comfy couches. There used to be a small dining table with some chairs but that is gone as well.

The BlackChurchLadies would hold a 'rousing' praying a couple times. Pretty interesting to watch. I've often thought it's almost a 'shamanistic' way of praying.

And you know I've worked in customer service, when I answered the phone in the waiting room with "Methodist waiting room." That phone was supposed to be for outbound calls, but I suspect that they called on that phone because the other phone was occupied. Or they were looking for someone who had called them earlier. The family they were looking for had already moved from the waiting room. At least that's what the volunteer told them. I can't believe I didn't eavesdrop on what else she said to them. I might have missed a story opportunity there!

On the 27th, I worked a card account, then laid down for a little nap, because I had to go into Kohl's that evening. Well, about 30 minutes into my nap, a woman from the hospital called. They were going to transfer my mom to the new Methodist Rehabilitation Hospital that afternoon at 5 pm. The rehab place had a spot open, so that's why they transferred her so quickly.

I guess she also didn't take as long to recover this time as last time.

So we had to hurry over to the hospital and get my mom's stuff out of her closet in her room. Then we had to wait for the ambulance service. They came pretty close to time. My mom asked if I could ride in the ambulance with her, and the guy said I would have to ride in front. (My mom watches way too much TV. lol!) I ended up riding with my dad.

Needless to say, when I got home Friday, I was pretty tired. Thankfully when I called in at work, one of the supervisors told me she was going to call someone else in. So I didn't have to go in at all. Bad bit; my paycheck is going suck next week.

What I like about the new rehab place: It's new and shiny and built in 2008.

What I don't like: It's 15 miles from where we live, and you have to go by freeway, and that darned freeway ramp is too short. It's freaked me out a few times.

At Kohl's our hours have been reduced because we have gone to the e-signs. So a supervisor was asking me about POS, and I'm really not sure about it. My days are so packed right now, trying to do both jobs and visit my mom. I only typed this up because something woke me up early.

I need to go out to do more card accounts. Later. (I also need to get coffee first.)