Tuesday, November 18th

Cindy having a better day

Hello Everyone,

Today was a long, tiring day for all of us, especially Cindy.  I arrived at the hospital at about 8:00 to be sure I was there by 8:30, as instructed. Of course I had to wait until after 9:00 for the doctor to arrive to explain the surgery he was going to perform on Cindy and to sign the consent form.  After that, it was a day of waiting...waiting until 12:30 for them to take her to pre-op before a scheduled 1:30 surgery; waiting in pre-op until 3:00 for the anesthesiologist to come take her to surgery; waiting until 4:45 to be told she was out of surgery and in recovery and that the doctor would be out momentarily to tell us how things went; waiting until 5:30 for the doctor to actually come out to see us; waiting for someone to tell us when she had been moved to the ICU, then finally asking and being told she had been there for fifteen or twenty minutes. Is there anything more tiring than just waiting, waiting, waiting?

The doctor said the surgery went very well and that he had inserted a programmable shunt that would release antibiotics to reduce the chances of infection (a risk he had told me this morning would persist for six months).  He went on to say that she would spend tonight in the ICU, get still another CAT scan in the morning, and probably go back up to the ninth floor tomorrow.  After a few more days up there, she'll go to a residential rehabilitation center for a week or two before she comes home. 

For Cindy, this was a very trying day and the straw that broke the camel's back.  Throughout this whole ordeal, she has been nothing but upbeat and cooperative.  The nurses have all commented on what a sweet person she is and what a pleasure she is as a patient.  When we got into the ICU tonight, though, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said in the most plaintive voice, "Stephen, take me home." She's clearly had enough and who wouldn't after three and a half weeks in the hospital, two catheter procedures into one's brain and a surgery. I know I'd be wanting to go home.  Unfortunately, because of the scenario the doctor outlined, that's not going to happen any time soon.

Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.