We arrived at the hospital at 8:00 this morning, after dropping our boys off at my mom's. After signing in and making a visit to the insurance lady (why don't they just call it like it is - the payment center), we took our seats in surgery waiting. It wasn't too long before they called Brandon's name. They let me go back with him while they started his IV and other pre-op duties. Brandon was pretty calm, although he will admit to being nervous about the IV :) I put on my best this-is-going-to-be-fine face and tried to distract him. I did manage to take this photo -
Doesn't he look good in purple??
A few people came in and out - Brandon's parents and sister, our Pastor Dewayne, nurses and finally the anesthesiologist. The doctor came in and talked to us. He explained what I should expect and told me he would see me after the surgery. The anesthesiologist then told me to give my kisses and leave. As I was leaving the room, the nurse was pulling up the bed rails and moving Brandon out of the room. My heart officially went into slow motion at that moment and I somehow navigated my way back to the waiting room.
The waiting room was more than half-filled with our friends and family. People who love us and have been praying for Brandon throughout this whole ordeal. That was so reassuring and comforting to me, and I'm sure to his parents.
I do kind of want to apologize to the people who came to the surgery - I was so distracted that I'm sure I was not good company. A few people were kind enough to make a biscuit run, but I couldn't eat. My heart was in surgery with Brandon. It's a strange feeling when your sweetheart is wheeled away from you to be operated on. Throughout this whole process, I have felt so helpless. I wanted to be with him, even though he was unconscious and I hate blood and guts. I can't even watch Grey's Anatomy without turning my head at the gross parts. So when I say that I wanted to be with him, that's huge - that's true love folks!
The next couple of hours slowly ticked away. I stuck my head in a magazine and tried to ignore my aching heart. When the nurse finally called our name, I was ushered with his parents to a consultation area. I was happy to have his parents with me, that would have been a lonely wait had I been alone. About 20 minutes later, the doctor made his appearance and talked to me about the surgery. He told me that everything went well and explained that we still don't have many answers until the results of the pathology report, which will be explained to us at his one-week follow up appointment. He told me what to expect when I saw Brandon, and how to take care of him for the next few weeks.
I got to see Brandon about 10 minutes later while he was still in recovery. When he saw me coming, he smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. My heart finally resumed its normal beating rhythm at that point. He was drinking juice and joking with the nurse. I was so glad to see him well. After the nurse made me sign my life away to drive him home, we were loaded into the car and on our way home!
Since we've been home, Brandon has done extremely well. He's in pain, but not a terrible amount. He has a four-inch incision in his lower abdomen, which is extremely sore and he describes as "the worst pulled muscle ever." He's able to walk a little, but gets lightheaded when he's been sitting up too long. He's eating and drinking and in good spirits. The boys came over for a little while tonight and let's just say that I was a nervous wreck the whole time! I was constantly afraid that Will was going to be too rough and hurt Brandon. They are spending the night with Brandon's parents tonight, so they are getting spoiled rotten :)
We really really appreciate all of your prayers, calls, notes and messages. I have received calls from people that I have never even met, offering encouragement and prayers. We feel so blessed and loved. Brandon has received several messages and calls from his buddies and guys he went to school with and that means so much to him. Please continue to pray for him as he recovers from his surgery and as we nervously await the results of the pathology report. His appointment is set for one week from today and at that time, we'll know more about where we go from here.
I'm off to check on my sweetheart..... good night!
No comments:
Post a Comment