It’s been over a 12-hour day so far, and still counting. We left the house this morning at 6:45 and arrived at Cedars at 8:30. We are definitely gaining an empathy for all of you who have a long commute every day. After drawing Dave’s blood and waiting for the results, we were informed that his magnesium, potassium, and fluid levels weren’t in their “sweet spot” so he was going to need four hours of infusion today followed by another blood test. After that second blood test, we discovered that his potassium had actually moved even further in the wrong direction during the day so we were going to have to stay for another four hours of infusion. Yikes! So here we sit, not knowing if we will get to go home tonight after they take yet another blood test at around 9 o'clock.
Have I ever said that this journey is teaching us patience? I have finally figured out why a patient is called a patient! I wonder when that started. I think I need to do some research.
As we arrived at the hospital this morning, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet at home. And David has long since given up carrying his wallet with him. No cash, no credit cards, no i.d., nothing. Crazy day. Our nurse, Wendi, loaned us the $2 we will need to get out of the parking lot when we do finally get to go home tonight, and we ate yummy hospital sandwiches and juice for lunch. Mid-afternoon I realized I had a Starbucks gift card in my backpack so I headed upstairs to get a much needed coffee and snacks. When he swiped the gift card, the cashier informed me I still owed .37 cents. I look at him and laughed. Then I had to let him know that he was going to have to take one of the snacks back because I didn’t have any money. Crazy day, for sure. He smiled at me and reached into the tip jar and pulled out the .37 cents I needed. Nice guy. I’m going to make sure I give him a hefty tip next time!
As I was waiting at the counter for my skinny vanilla latte, I saw the strangest sight. Out from the elevator came a man who looked to be in his mid thirties with stringy long hair, wearing hospital pants and a hospital gown. His gown was wide open in the back and only had a few of the snaps connected. That gown wasn’t covering much and it didn’t look like it was going to stay on for long, and this guy was in a hurry. I laughed to myself thinking, that’s exactly how David and I feel right now. We would loved to just get up and run out of this place! Who knows where this man was going. Maybe we was headed to Judi’s Deli for a sandwich that ranks a little better than the one he could get on his hospital tray. Maybe his parking meter was running low. I don’t know. The best thing about it is that it made me laugh on a day when I needed that.
Well, it’s now almost 8 o'clock. I guess we should order another round of hospital sandwiches and juice. Hopefully we get to drive home tonight because we don’t have the credit card and i.d. we would need to go to a hotel for the night. And hopefully I’m a really good driver so that I don’t get pulled over on the way home. You’ve gotta love a day like today!
Carol
