Cindy spent as comfortable a weekend as possible with a little help from her small blue friends. Last night was a good one in terms of more sleep and less discomfort, and we hope it just keeps getting better and better. The swelling has gone down quite a bit and her fingers look more like breakfast sausages as opposed to bratwurst (as they did after surgery). She is doing her finger and thumb wiggling exercises to be sure to keep all of them moving and limber. Best of all, her spirits are high and she has a good appetite - which challenges me daily to get the healthiest and tastiest food into her as possible. Since she really can’t drink, I’ve taken up the slack!
During my time at the hospital while she was in surgery, I explored the place and finally found a quiet lounge on the third floor that was empty the entire three hours. Seems that this lounge used to be the main lounge for friends and family of those in surgery and last month they moved the lounge to be closer to the actual OR but they haven’t gotten around to closing the one on the third floor. The window in the lounge overlooks the main entrance to the hospital so I could watch as people were discharged. I can report - without fear of being incorrect - that the first thing that at least 60% of all folks being discharged did when they got in the car was to light up a cigarette! The first few times I saw this I was shocked, but it happened time and time again. Oh, almost 100% did NOT use their seatbelts! The good folks in Charles Town like to live dangerously.
Speaking of which, after having been at the hospital for three hours, I was getting a little hungry so went to the cafeteria to see what was on offer. Last year, while being with Megan at Moffitt Hospital in Tampa, I had occasion to go to their cafeteria to get something for Megan and something for me. Their cafeteria was more like a luxury cruise ship buffet: carving stations, omelet station, a fresh sushi bar, a real grill where you could get anything you wanted - from juicy hamburgers to three kinds of ribs - and all the sides you could imagine. The cafeteria at our local hospital was more like the remains of a cooler after three days on a canoe trip. There were multicolored - perhaps various shades of brown would be more like it - meats, meats that seriously could not be identified. The eggs were obviously powdered, there were cubes of something that said French Toast, and of course, grits: cheese grits, sausage grits and grits with redeye gravy. I went in hungry and left without an appetite having only ordered a coffee, which was free so I’m not going to say anything about that. (Note from the patient: Anesthesia has more advantages than I realized.)
As you might remember, we were scheduled to depart for Nice on Wednesday. That has been cancelled since there is no way we are going anywhere for at least two weeks when the doctor will again look at Cindy’s wrist and either clear us for travel or not.
I’ve had to cancel two air reservations, one to get to Nice and the other to get from Nice to Brussels. Let me tell you, it is time consuming and nasty. Royal Air Maroc might refund Cindy’s ticket when they process the letter from the doctor and my ‘forceful’ email, but they will not give me a full refund or even a credit. They will charge me a cancellation fee of 250 euros since there is nothing wrong with my wrist and, as they say, you are free to travel!! Same with Brussels Air, they might give Cindy a credit, but they will only refund me THREE Euros on a 150 Euro ticket!! There is a cancellation fee, a service fee, a fee fee, and on and on it goes. Oh, how I despise these folks. I thought that having purchased a full fare business class ticket would have had some clout, but I was wrong.
When we had to cancel our flight to Paris last fall when Megan was in treatment, United Airlines - whom I have at times had negative thoughts about - were only too happy to credit our entire fare for one year and periodically would send a note asking as to Megan’s progress. When I called them to rebook for this December, the reservationist again asked how Megan was doing. Sometimes they just get it right!
Well, back to the patient, who is napping so as to allow me time to get a fresh salmon dinner organized. Some really good news is that she is no longer taking the opiods for pain, a very positive step forward!
More later in the week. I’ll say it again, many thanks for all your positive energy regarding Cindy’s wellbeing. She feels it!
William
If you want to write directly to her, it is ccemmans@yahoo.com. Or reply to me and copy her.
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