Much Better

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, emails, and help.  After a rough day yesterday, due to reactions to the anesthesia and painkillers, Mama Hungry is feeling better this morning.  She is in good spirits, remarking that this was "surgery-lite" compared to this summer's probable one!  Her parents were wonderful, the kids were great, and I am stronger than I have been in two years.  So, as good as can be.  We should have the results in a week or so, with surgery, barring unforeseen results, at the end of July sometime.


But, so I don't forget, a few things I learned, very specific to us:


In the hospital:

• Take as little as possible to the hospital--who really reads in waiting rooms anyway?  I lugged around a book and two magazines and never took them out of the bag.  Though, oddly, there was not a magazine or paper to be found in the whole hospital!  This might change for a longer surgery or multiple-day stay.
• It takes longer than you think.  
• And the follow-up:  get used to not knowing.  They wouldn't give us any information until about 10 minutes before they were ready to discharge her--she woke up, ate, walked around, etc--before they told us.  Which is probably why it took so long.  Even though we had asked--politely and patiently--before that.  (When I had my two outpatient surgeries there, they let Mama in with me beforehand and she was there when I woke up.  Not sure why yesterday was different).
• Which leads to:  you're pretty helpless.  Relinquish illusions of control and you'll feel better.  This is my lesson right now in many things!
• Yep, hospital visits are very good exercises in mindfulness and the Four Noble Truths!
• Medications and anesthesia make Mama nauseous and dizzy--more anti-nauseals next time.

• For the patient:  socks, change of comfy clothes, lotion, lip balm, driver's license, insurance card, nothing but eyeglasses.
• For the waiting caregivers:  charged smartphone!, water, hand sanitizer,
• About the drive home:    validated parking pass, easy directions to pick up spot and then home for whomever is driving. patient in front seat, clear driveway so shortest walk to the house.

At home:

• I should have done more of the chores so I had less to do yesterday--run the dishwasher early and unloaded it, finished off the last load of laundry, etc--we had prepped the kids' morning routine beforehand but not the evening (or next morning) and so were stuck with chores to do, a nauseous patient, and exhaustion.  
• There is always a trip to the pharmacy.  Always.  Good time to get whatever the patient wants to eat or do.  Nice way for caregiver to take a break (at least for me).
• For the patient:  crackers, applesauce, rice, broth, toast (Sis made Mama's favorite, with butter and sugar!), gingerale (or Zinger Punch), remote controls and the phone (in a handy basket), clean clothes, various distractions (we had iPad games, new videos, a magazine, and pre-recorded tv), charged phone and computer, ice packs/heating pads as needed.
• For the caregiver:  a few easy meals already done (would paper plates be overkill??  Ma and Gong cooked last night but that was probably too much), iced coffee, and chocolate!  :)  
• Extra hands are always needed--we were very grateful for Ma and Gong.  Sis and Bud were also immensely helpful.

To Do Before Next Time:

• get a lamp for Mama's nightstand
• clean the house right beforehand (empty fridge for extra meals; empty litterbox for cats, who stayed in their room all day with people in and out; especially clear the bedroom; charge the toothbrushes!)
• big run to stores (grocery, pet store) for staples a day or so before
• pay bills early (because, while we didn't miss any, we were pretty distracted more than just the one day this week)
• and whatever we come up with in the coming days . . . . 

Any helpful hints from those of you who have been here before??