The 24 hours since Susan’s surgery have gone well. Her CT
scan last night showed the VP shunt is placed properly with no bleeding
in her brain. She’s had some pain at the surgery site, but only accepted pain meds
once today. While some of her cognitive fog has lifted, she’s still quite weak
physically.
Surgically speaking, she’s doing well enough that the neurosurgery
resident is ready to release her from the hospital. Physically though, the
therapist recommends she move to an acute rehab facility. Unable to stand on
her own at all or with assistance for long, and unable to grip a walker with
her right hand, we expect she’ll get stronger with 3-5 days of aggressive therapy
so she can transition home. This afternoon, we met with the clinical social
worker who’s making the arrangements.
Later, I went across the street to the old hospital to look
around and buy a t-shirt at the health sciences student store. Near the west
elevators I ran into Dr. Bergsneider and Dr. Shafa, both neurosurgeons, as they
were leaving for the day. I thanked Dr. Bergsneider for his good work with Susan’s
surgery yesterday and then I re-acquainted myself with Dr. Shafa, who happens
to help my mother monitor her meningioma. It’s a benign brain tumor diagnosed
about 30 years ago, but that's another story.
With that chance meeting, we’re thankful to be on the neurosurgery friends and family
plan at UCLA and grateful for all the caring doctors and nurses who helped us
this week. We’re especially glad Susan is making progress and can get on with the
next phase of recovery.
More hospital observations
When you walk up to the cafeteria cashier lady with a hot beverage while she’s coughing but she needs to know what kind of hot beverage you’re buying so she stops and says “Coffee?” and you say, “No, but you are,” then that’s kind of funny because you really do have coffee.
More hospital observations
When you walk up to the cafeteria cashier lady with a hot beverage while she’s coughing but she needs to know what kind of hot beverage you’re buying so she stops and says “Coffee?” and you say, “No, but you are,” then that’s kind of funny because you really do have coffee.
When a social worker lady you don’t know walks into your
wife’s room while she’s sleeping and looks at you and asks if you’re your wife’s
son and you tell her you’re her husband and the social worker lady says the son
asked for a letter and you say you’re not the son and you tell the social
worker lady she must have the wrong room and then the social worker lady turns
away with a look of disbelief as she mutters something about talking to the
nurse and then you ask her if she’s giving out letters and she laughs as she’s
leaving – when that happens, you turn to your now-awake wife and say, “I was
hoping she’d give me a letter. They’re expensive at UCLA.”