Tony’s surgery was scheduled at 7:30 a.m yesterday morning., so I told him I would be there at 6:30. I was running a couple minutes late, trying to get the dog outside since we would be gone for several hours. He never did go outside, damn dog.
Hannah and I are half way to the hospital when he called and said that they were taking him to surgery . . . now! My worst fear was realized when I thought I wouldn’t be able to see him before surgery. But luckily, the porter who was taking him down said that we would be able to see him before surgery – whew!
He was so nervous, like he normally is before any surgery. But I knew he was in good hands. All the doctors and nurses were really nice, his anesthesiologist walked in and shook Tony’s hand as a fellow White Sox fan. They ended up giving him transfusions to make sure his blood levels stayed well during surgery.
Then before we knew it, it was time to say good-bye. I gave Tony my positive face, told him he was strong and he could get through the surgery. It wasn’t until he was wheeled away that I let my emotions get to me for a couple minutes. While its a relief to know he is getting taken care of, the waiting gets to you after a while.
I went and got an oatmeal in the cafeteria, with raisins, sliced banana and sugar free syrup – not bad for $1.50!
And I drank a lot of this during the day:
We were initially told that the surgery would last between 2 and 3 hours. So in my head, I am thinking 10:30 a.m. at the latest. At 11:00 a nurse hands me a phone. It’s the ER nurse. She tells me that the tumor is lower in his colon than they thought, and it will be another one to two hours.
Okay, at least I know that by 1:00 p.m. everything will be done. At 12:30 the surgeon comes out, and he says that they found more cancer, and have to take out more colon than they thought, but Tony was stable, and it will be another couple hours. The thought that they might find more cancer never crossed my mind at all. 🙁
So we decided to go get lunch. We first had Hannah bring up some soup for me and my Mom, but neither one of us was feeling it, so we went and got something else – it was okay – chipotle turkey, zucchini and I threw on the french fries for stress relief! 😀
So now I am thinking around 3:00 the doctor will come out and tell me everything is okay. Although since we were sitting in the surgical waiting room all day we noticed that some doctors would just come right out, say “everything went as planned, your loved one is doing well” while other doctors would escort people into a private room.
We kind of joked and said “I hope we don’t have to go to the private room!” Finally, at 3:30, the doctor came to us, looked at me and said “do you want to see him?” I jumped up, we started to walk to recovery, when he starts describing the extra surgery he needed to do and then says “why don’t we talk in this room” and leads me to the private room
As I was walking I was like “no, don’t take me to the private room – only bad news is given in the private room!” Turns out he just drew me a picture of what he did in the surgery so I could understand it – whew! But can I tell you that the rest of the family in the waiting room had white faces when I got back!
But since the surgery was so long, it took him a couple hours to wake up. And he was supposed to go to a floor after surgery that was somewhere between a regular room and ICU, but no bed was available. So finally, at around 6:00 p.m., a nurse comes over and tells us that we can wait in the ICU waiting room – that of course made us concerned, but once we got there, I was calm.
My maiden name is Hills. This is the name on the ICU waiting room.
I took this as a sign that all would be well! And um, this place was amazing – private rooms with flat screen t.v.’s, reclining chairs – I would have liked to have spent all day in this waiting room!
We finally got to see Tony at 6:45 – 15 minutes before the nursing shift change. They don’t allow visitors between the hours of 7-8 a.m. and p.m. during shift change. I was just glad Tony was awake, I could kiss his lips and he saw my face so he knew everything was okay.
Hannah and I drove together in her car, so we picked up a pizza on the way home, and I was back at the hospital at 8:00 p.m. after the shift change. When I walked into his room I saw this:
And while this may look scary to you, he was calm and sleeping, which is exactly what he needs. He ended up waking up around 9:00 and then I left around 11:00 p.m. His nurse only has him as a patient last night, so hopefully he was in good hands last night.
A huge thank you to my SIL Jody, my nephew Chris, my Mom and Hannah for being my moral support all day at the hospital, and for my parents in law and step-son Joe’s texts throughout the day. And thank you for all your comments and emails throughout the day – it was like getting a virtual hug from all of you!
Today the plan is to get Tony walking so he doesn’t form blood clots, and to get him back into a regular room. They previously said his hospital stay could be anywhere from 3 – 5 days, but I guess we’ll get a better handle on that today.
Go give your spouse, child, or significant other an extra kiss and hug today. Sometimes our every day lives get lost in the shuffle and you forget to slow down, and appreciate what you have!
Hugs!
Glad everything went ok. Thought and prayers are with you during the recovery 🙂
I was eating my breakfast as I read this and it got harder and harder to swallow and I finally had to give up when I saw Tony in his hospital bed. There are few things worse to witness than somebody in a hospital bed, esp when they have a mask on and tubes coming out everywhere. It’s so scary, but I’m soooo happy and relieved that he came through OK–I prayed for him and the doctors yesterday (and you, of course). Bless you both, I’m just so happy that the worst part is over. YAY!
Hugs!! Even though the surgery went over, I’m so glad that everything went okay. I’m praying for a fast recovery for Tony. He really is lucky to have you as a wife by his side.
I knew today your blog would be the first I visited! So glad Tony and your whole family is doing well! I never thought of the more cancer scenario. But so glad they caught it!!! My prayers are with you both. Hope you take a good book to read, waiting for someone to recover can seem like forever if they are sleeping all the time.
Hugs to you guys! I’ll admit I got chills when you said your maiden name was Hills and it was in the ICU. That is a good sign. Hope the healing process moves along quickly for him. You are such a strong wife. I can’t imagine going through this. Nice of Hannah and your mom to sit with you.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Oh Biz… Honey, your long day is done, but the long weeks to come will be a test. Stay strong, do all your research, follow orders and learn to make “real” chicken stock. Broth and noodles to start, soft vegetables and chicken… Centuries of Jewish mothers can’t be wrong…
The bones from one Rotisserie chicken ($4.99 at Target), some water, a few carrots and celery and you have a easy and he can eat it soup. A few days later you can add the chicken you stripped from the bones and some pasta.
Gives me an idea… When you meet with his nutritionist, drop us a note with what he can eat, ingredients or dishes. We all want to help, maybe a group recipe roundup will give us a chance to contribute to the ongoing goals.
Make plans, it helps (him and you)
Dave
French fries make great stress relief! It does look comfortable there but I’ll bet you’d be willing never to return! My thoughts are with you guys!
No matter how comfortable, a hospital waiting room is a jittery place to be. So glad the surgery is over and recovery is beginning!
Best,
Bonnie
Love and hugs for you all and a speedy recovery for Tony.
PG the worst is behind you!!
Hugs, just hugs. It will all be ok. 🙂
I am happy to hear everything went o-k. Sending prayers your way.
Sending you guys a big “hug”
I’m so happy t!o hear the surgery went well. Hope Tony is back on his feet soon
Great news that the surgery went well. And hey, if there was more cancer, thank heavens they found and removed it during this surgery!!!
Oh man – I went through a roller coaster of emotions reading this – I can’t even IMAGINE how you guys must be feeling! Tony is truly lucky to have such strong amazing people in his life that love him so fiercely! I’m so glad that the surgery went well (even though it did take longer than expected). Can’t wait to hear how quickly and fabulously his recovery goes! 😉
Sending love and hugs to you, Tony and your family, Biz! Prayers for a speedy recovery for Tony! xoxoxo
Glad to hear Tony is doing well, what a long day of waiting. Hope he is up and about today and gets home soon!
Glad everything went okay, even though it took much longer than you thought it would. That’s always the worst part for me. Hugs to all! 🙂
What a stressful day you guys had… but as soon as I saw the name of the waiting room I took a big breath. I believe in signs, remember? That has to mean “it’s all good.” And may I just say, I cannot believe you took photos of all your food for us, you nut! Hugs my friend!
I can’t believe that it said Hills family waiting area! What are the odds of that? That gave me goose bumps.
Glad you finally got to see him, what a long day. Tell Hannah, thanks for the texts and phone calls. Call me when you can today. I’ll have my phone at my desk all day.
Love you! 🙂
Thousands of hugs and prayers to you. Sent you an email already this morning. Thinking of Tony and YOU! May today be calmer and a bit lighter for all of you, and as comfortable as possible for Big T!