This past week has been, well, full. On Wednesday I thought for sure it must be Friday.
We got the news last Saturday afternoon that Tim's Aunt Jean had died. The reviewal was Tuesday night, and Wednesday was the funeral.
Monday was my long day at work, then Tuesday I decided to skip my book club to attend the reviewal with Tim. He had to leave by 6 pm to attend an informational meeting at St. Kate's College about getting a Master's Degree in Library and Informational Science. On Tuesday, we also got the news that the Bethel Seminary library hired someone who already worked in the library to take the position that Tim had applied for. Consolation: they all said Tim had interviewed very well, that there would be openings in the college library soon, and that we don't really know how we could have made the transition to this new job possibility right now.
Wednesday's service for Jeanie was very lovely. All my boys were wearing suits and looked very nice. (Oh, Monday night after work I met Christina to buy her a new top, slacks, and shoes for the service.) Tim and his cousin Terry helped the boys (including our nephew) and Tim's brother's with their ties. These are not usually terribly fancy dressers, but as pallbearers, they wanted to be dignified, and they all were. I'm sure Jeanie would have been pleased.
There was a little confusion about where lunch would be after the service, but thanks to cell phones and Tim's internet connection on his phone, most of us ended up in the same place eventually. I went to work after we got home, getting there about 3 pm and working till around 7:30.
Thursday was Luke's surgery. I spent the morning wrapping presents, and he came over a little after noon. We checked in at 12:30, right on time. After a little wait, we went back to the pre-surgery area. They had a little TV there, so we found the game channel--one of Luke's favorites. We spent time watching Match Game '74 with Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson, of course Gene Rayburn, and other stars. It was funny to see the clothes and hair styles. This was the "new" Match Game. Hard to believe it was 32 years ago!
The surgeon, Dr. Hackett, (his name made me a little uneasy) came in to talk to us. He was running behind, but asked us if we had any questions. He said that the surgery would take less time than our conversation. He was going to go in and remove the old scar tissue that had built up, and that Luke should be doing much better right away.
Luke tolerated the IV very well--we were concerned since he didn't fair too well with blood drawings. After the second Match Game ended (just as Password with Bert Convey was starting), they wheeled Luke away.
The hospital was hosting a Christmas tea, so I went down to the lunchroom for free treats. There were some high school students there, all dressed up, singing Christmas carols. It was quite lovely.
I went back upstairs and worked on my Bible study. Before long, I was paged to the telephone at the check-in desk, and talked to the doctor. He said that the surgery was very successful, but Luke should expect some bleeding, because he hadn't cauterized the area--to prevent further scar tissue build up.
So, I waited again while Luke was in the first recovery phase, and then they called me back when he was in the second room. He seemed to be doing very well, and felt good and strong. His vitals were good, and we started to procedure of checking him out. The last thing he had to do was go to the bathroom before we left, to make sure everything was all right. I stood outside the bathroom door, just in case, and then I heard a loud crash. Luke had fainted. Nurses came running, then had to go get a key because the door was locked. A little nurse was able to squeeze in, because Luke had fallen near the door. Eventually two nurses helped him up and he was coming around again and they were able to help him get back into bed.
Luke had fallen because of the amount of blood he passed. I guess he has a condition that makes him queasy at such things--Tim is the same way. The emergency room doctor (where we headed next) said this is a condition--and it is more common in males ages 16-26. There is nothing the patient can really do to control it.
Well, he had bitten his tongue (so that was bleeding) and chipped a tooth, as well as had a goose egg on the back of his head. So, they wheeled him down to the emergency room. I called Tim and asked him to meet us there with some fresh clothes for Luke.
Luke didn't have a concussion, so after the doc there checked him out, we got our discharge papers. Now, if we had been discharged from the same-day surgery area, we would have gotten someone to take Luke down to the discharge area in a wheel chair, and I would have picked him up in the car. No one was in sight with a wheel chair. So, I went down to the emergency room entrance, grabbed a wheel chair, and went down to get Luke. (I got permission from the security guy.) So, I wheeled him out, and Tim picked us up. Someone from emergency got the chair from us and we were finally on our way, about 7:45 pm.
Luke passed out one more time at home, but he was in the bathtub, where I had Tim sitting near him in case he had trouble. I slept on the love seat in the living room--Luke was on the couch. I wanted to be close by in case he had another fainting episode. He was up a couple of times during the night, but did fine.
I put in a full day of work yesterday, while Tim and Mark spent time looking after Luke. He was much better on Friday, and even drove over to his friend Katie's. Tim and I enjoyed a supper reunion with friends from our old Bible study. Luke spent the night with us again--I was back in my bed, and Luke slept all night.
Next week I only have to work M-W, and on Wednesday I'm going to brunch with my new co-workers for a Christmas celebration. Thursday I'm off, and Friday is a paid holiday--as are all the work days between Christmas and including New Year's day. I am looking forward to the extra time and the time with family in Tennessee after Christmas.
I got packages off in the mail today--now I just have to shop for kids, husband, and Tim's family. Little by little, we're gettin' stuff done!
As I was blogging, I got a call from Tim's mom. It seems Tim's Dad's cousin Doris is in her last hours. Danny (the uncle who just lost his wife) has power of attorney and has to quickly go to sign papers and will probably have to make arrangements when she passes. Please pray for him! Doris has no children and was never married--she's been living in a nursing home for the last year or two.
Thanks for all your concern and prayers as we've dealt with all of this craziness.
Till next time,
Suzi
