So, Junior Mock had to have another surgery today, to get the stent removed that was placed a couple weeks ago, and have another kidney stone removed, and have his stitches from the last surgery taken out.
I cannot express to you how utterly annoyed I am that it’s hospital policy that we have to arrive 2 hours before surgery, and for some reason in our case, 2.5 hours, but that’s what we were told. We were told to show up at 11am for surgery at 1.30pm. ANNOYING.
So at 10.15 this morning, the doc’s office calls and says, “Hey! We’re running ahead of schedule – so if you could come at 10.45 that would be great.” So I’m thinking YAY about them running ahead of schedule, and yes we’d be delighted to come 15 minutes earlier than planned.
So I get Junior loaded into the wheelchair van, and when we get there, we find absolutely NO parking spots. NONE. I drove around forever, and ended up having to park in two faraway spots because there were no handicapped spots available. And the two spots I parked in were forever far away from the entrance, and it was pelting freezing cold windy rain at us as I pushed him from the van to the doors, and there is nothing that pisses me off more than freezing cold windy pelty rain. HATE.
So we check in, get taken back to a holding cell patient room, and begin the waiting process. The nurse came to tend to us pretty quickly, and just as quickly informed us that all of the operating rooms were running behind schedule. So I said, “But the doc’s office just called us and said they’re running AHEAD of schedule.” And she informs me that the DOCTOR is ahead of schedule, but because the ROOMS are not, then surgery is postponed until at least 2pm.
So I growl at her with my meanest tiger growl, and say, “Can you please explain to me why in the holy hell we are always told to show up here a bazillion hours in advance of when anything actually is DONE?” And she went to get her supervisor, probably on account of the growling, and her supervisor comes and is super nice and understanding, and informs me that in the future, I should just ignore the rules and come only ONE hour in advance, but not to tell anyone she told me that. Which is great, but doesn’t help TODAY.
Finally, they come and fetch him at 2.30ish. By this time, I’m sure he’s starving, because he hasn’t been fed since 6pm the night before, and I am positively FAMISHED, because we’ve been stuck in a waiting room since 10.45am. But because I’m alone at the hospital, I don’t really feel like I can leave to go to the cafeteria, so I just sit there while my stomach starts looking hungrily at nearby internal organs.
Surgery happens. The doc comes to tell me that it all went fine, except that they put ANOTHER STENT IN, on account of all the swelling they caused getting the stone out. So now there is a string hanging out of his weewee until next week, when they take THIS stent out. Sigh.
Still, Junior seemed completely delighted as always, and after a couple hours in recovery, they tell us we can go. It’s now around 5pm. The nurse stays with him as I go to fetch the van, and says she’ll meet me at the drive-up entrance. I go get the van and get pelted with more freezing cold rain. I pull up. I get out to get him loaded. She informs me I have a flat tire.
GAH.
I call Mr. Mock, and the nurse calls security. Security comes to put air in the tire. Mr. Mock comes to drive the van and let me drive his car so that I’m not all freaked out about driving a van with a wonky tire. It takes us an hour to get home because people have no idea how to drive in freezing pelty rain.
I have never needed wine more than I needed it this evening.
Anyway, this day sucked. And now I’m going to bed. In the meantime, I would like to inform you that race walking is every bit as ridiculous as curling and sychronized swimming.
That totally WAS epic suckage, Mock. But at least Junior is one step closer to being done with surgeries, and you found out about the flat tire before you drove off and discovered it on the highway. Everyone is safe, and you are loved.
Here’s hoping tomorrow is better for you. ♥
Agree with what RoP said. Tomorrow will be better for sure!
So sorry you had a totally miserable day and glad it’s over with. Happy to hear Jr.’s surgery went well. What a trooper!
ditto w/RoP! You WILL have a much better day tomorrow. It’s Halloween…you’ll get (some of Mini’s) candy, so it won’t be all that bad!
And, YES w/the race walking! I can’t believe it’s an Olympic sport. We watched the guys on TV this past summer…their hips and legs look like rubber. …it’s NOT a sport!!!
What a freakin miserable day! So glad to hear that Jr. is doing well. My thoughts are with you and your family.
I totally agree about the cold, petty rain. I’ve been out of beer since last Thursday because I can’t stand to be outside any more than necessary in those conditions. And it’s cold and petty today!
So sorry about your horrible day! Next time that happens, you’re welcome to call me! I have nothing better to do and there’s nothing funnier than watching a crazed 30 year old woman chase a toddler around a hospital waiting room while trying to keep everything from spilling out of her purse and keep him from screaming the profanities he learned from his daddy’s road rage at the fellow patrons.
As for the race walking — how incredibly insulting. I am a runner and I had no idea this existed. Some of us are out there killing ourselves trying to beat our personal record and running a half marathon on a severely injured foot just to get in under our goal time and there are “athletes” mall walking their way to fame?!?!?! Un-freaking-believable.
Oh Mock, that was a brilliant essay, I felt I was there with you every step of the way, and I’m GLAD you growled at the staff. And – silver lining – now you get to arrive just an hour early in future – woot!
And to think I picked yesterday to send you a gazillion emails in a row with all sorts of wonky math about how the Obama White House practises gender discrimination in hiring women for lower-paying jobs, men for higher-paying jobs. But did I just TELL you that? Nope, I spammed you with math and made your head hurt!!! My abject apologies!!!
As for race-walking, it’s a very interesting sport. Back in the 90′s I participated in the Honolulu Marathon for the Leukemia Society, and signed up as a walker. Our coach was a champion racewalker, but of course he didn’t train us to do that, he was just trying to get 120 fat women to cover 26 miles. But I was interested in racewalking, so I tried to use the techniques. It’s way harder than it looks, as it uses the opposite muscles in the leg that running uses. You have to retrain your body. And look real sissy while you’re doing it (thankfully I’m a girl, not a guy!) It’s fabulous aerobic exercise.
Coincidentally, I was at a group dinner recently and out of the blue, one of the other guests said that science has proved that it is physically impossible for world class racewalkers to achieve the speeds they do without cheating.
I actually gasped out loud when I got to the flat tire part. I’m serious. Here’s hoping today is going better!
Was getting all weepy here, then your last paragraph – LOL!
Reminds me of the time I took my husband for an out patient hernia operation, at the 2 hour mark I’m getting panicky, at 3 1/2 hours Dr comes and explains my husband’s lung collapsed, at 6 plus hours, crying hysterically and almost causing a scene – I finally get to see him. Leave the hospital to freezing rain, I can NOT see to drive at night, and the car keeps wanting to quit. Had a very similiar experience one Turkey Day when he hit a deer.
Bless your heart, I’d have been doing shots.