He Died On The Table!
As I shared with you about the difference between me and my first husband...he had patience......I had none....
It came to the day of the surgery....We knew that they would be taking a big chuck out of his arm down to the bone....remove several lymph nodes and do the skin graft on his arm....The surgery was to be four hours............
As any of you know sitting in a hospital surgery waiting room...is not fun...plain scary....My husband had not as even as much taken an asprin in his life....and here they are putting him under.....vs me at 27 I had already had about 5 surgeries....still made me scared to be put under and for him to be too....
We got through the first few hours okay, my family and I...but when it passed the forth hour and no news here came my No Patience....I went up to the desk..just about every five minutes after the four hours...no news...no news..no news...until I overhead a nurse say..."He didn't make it off the table" I looked around the room and the only family there was mine.....
Still as I asked the person at the desk...she said no new....so I did the next best thing....I went back to the operating room.....No one goes there but the doctors and nurses....but at 5 1/2 hours I needed to know something....
I walked back and I am peering into the operating room windows...I can't really see anything...so I try opening the door a bit to peep in to see....There goes my patience...None.....I still can't see anything...so I just stand there and all of a sudden the doors open and out they roll somebody...
One of them pushing the bed ask did I need something and I just stood frozen watching wondering if it was my husband or not....It was like I became actually frozen in that spot...I couldn't move....They took the person into a recovery room right in front of me.....and I just stood trying to see if it was him....
Finally, one of the people taking care of the person they had just rolled out looked up and said "Hey, you can't be here"...I said "I know"...but I didn't move....Finally, I ask who the patient was...they gave me a name but it was not my husband......
I asked if there was any other operations still going on and they said "No this is the last one".....I nearly fell to the ground....that meant he was the one who had "Died on the Table"
As they kept asking me to leave,,,,,I was still frozen...finally one of them look at me again and said "What name did you ask" I told him my husband's name and he looked down at the chart......and finally I heard the words..."This is your husband"
After nearly 30 minutes standing there frozen...I burst into tears and that time when they ask me to leave...I went running to my family telling them that he was okay ................we all shared tears of joy and relief.....
Surgery had been done now was the beginning of the waiting...waiting to hear what they found....waiting,,,,waiting ....waiting...
Waiting.....now it was all about Waiting...................
cont......
It came to the day of the surgery....We knew that they would be taking a big chuck out of his arm down to the bone....remove several lymph nodes and do the skin graft on his arm....The surgery was to be four hours............
As any of you know sitting in a hospital surgery waiting room...is not fun...plain scary....My husband had not as even as much taken an asprin in his life....and here they are putting him under.....vs me at 27 I had already had about 5 surgeries....still made me scared to be put under and for him to be too....
We got through the first few hours okay, my family and I...but when it passed the forth hour and no news here came my No Patience....I went up to the desk..just about every five minutes after the four hours...no news...no news..no news...until I overhead a nurse say..."He didn't make it off the table" I looked around the room and the only family there was mine.....
Still as I asked the person at the desk...she said no new....so I did the next best thing....I went back to the operating room.....No one goes there but the doctors and nurses....but at 5 1/2 hours I needed to know something....
I walked back and I am peering into the operating room windows...I can't really see anything...so I try opening the door a bit to peep in to see....There goes my patience...None.....I still can't see anything...so I just stand there and all of a sudden the doors open and out they roll somebody...
One of them pushing the bed ask did I need something and I just stood frozen watching wondering if it was my husband or not....It was like I became actually frozen in that spot...I couldn't move....They took the person into a recovery room right in front of me.....and I just stood trying to see if it was him....
Finally, one of the people taking care of the person they had just rolled out looked up and said "Hey, you can't be here"...I said "I know"...but I didn't move....Finally, I ask who the patient was...they gave me a name but it was not my husband......
I asked if there was any other operations still going on and they said "No this is the last one".....I nearly fell to the ground....that meant he was the one who had "Died on the Table"
As they kept asking me to leave,,,,,I was still frozen...finally one of them look at me again and said "What name did you ask" I told him my husband's name and he looked down at the chart......and finally I heard the words..."This is your husband"
After nearly 30 minutes standing there frozen...I burst into tears and that time when they ask me to leave...I went running to my family telling them that he was okay ................we all shared tears of joy and relief.....
Surgery had been done now was the beginning of the waiting...waiting to hear what they found....waiting,,,,waiting ....waiting...
Waiting.....now it was all about Waiting...................
cont......
Replies
I so understand the waiting. I wish they would have the courtesy to keep families informed - hourly would be nice. I was a nurse so hate to rock the boat, but I get very snarky if the the nursing staff is not doing a good job. I guess I was a manager for too many years. I preached customer service and I expected the staff to do the jobs they were educated to do - not a lot to ask I don\'t think.
I am looking forward to the next installment.
Hugs, Marlene
Such a terrible ordeal for you and your family. Remembering it all must be hard on you, but sometimes it\'s good to share the hard times. I\'m looking forward to reading more. Sending Love to you and Ken
Terry
What is it with hosp. staff that they can\'t keep a family informed? We experienced this same senerio with my BIL. It took a volunteer after my using their intercom to get some answer......Hopefully by your sharing this horendous experiece it will bring you peace.......Love to you, Pat
Wow...you tell it so movingly that I feel as if \"I\'m\" the one waiting for the news...t
hat so sounds like something I would have done, too. Going right to the surgery area because I wasn\'t getting any answers...
Recently when we suspected my husband had a stroke, I sat up front in the ambulance and we\'re waiting at a stoplight (!)... I asked her \"Can\'t you hurry this thing up? Put on some lights, whatever...it\'s important we get there FAST!\" So then she checked with the guys in the back, and made it so we sped all the way to the hospital! That was more like it!
Looking forward to your next installment! And so happy for you that he came through that surgery ok at that time!
Love+Hugs,Donna
The waiting room is sheer torture for families... when Jim had his prostate surgery they ran into problems and I was left sittng out there for hours after everyone left.. didn\'t know where he was and wandeered around asking did anyone know where my husband was ???? finally found him.. I understand your relief but at the same time understanding your pain..
hugs and prayers.. MaryLou
What a frightening experience. I work in a surgery department and I would be appalled if anything like that happened in my department. I\'m so glad you had a favorable outcome but I\'m sure you needed a shock to restart your heart after all of that. Thanks for sharing. Love Robin
Thanks to you all for your responses and reading my story.....and your comments mean a lot to me....Love to you all.. Sandi
This is truly heartbreaking.