Our Waldo Gray

[larryJ]

Glad you are okay.  In my own experience yesterday with an operation, the surgeon was Anglo-American, the pre-op nurse was Filipino, as were many of the nurses, the Anesthesiologist was Japanese and the two transport guys getting me to surgery and helping me out to the car were Hispanic.  All were very professional and knew their jobs well.  All carry a pocket scanner and everything that is done is scanned into the computer so that everyone knows what everyone has done.  IV bar codes were scanned, nurse's ID badges were scanned as well as anyone else involved in my care.  I remember some twenty years ago my father-in-law had this same procedure and was in the hospital for a week.  Mine was out-patient mainly because I did well and the Surgeon did his job well.  Today's medical technology is amazing to me.  Just think where it will be in the future.

Larryj

[patyrn]

Sounds like you are doing okay today, Larry.  Glad your procedure went well............

[Janet Harrington]

Waldo, it is so good that you are home and doing well.  You mentioned that the surgeon took out a cancerous portion of the smaller intestine.  Are you going to have to do something about that?  i.e. radiation, chemo  We will pray that the surgery took care of everything.  We will also pray that you don't have to go through something like that again.  What a trip that must of been!

[Ms Bear]

Waldo and Larry, I am glad you are both doing okay.  The thought of surgery is still scary.

[W. Gray]

Larry,
One of my roommates was admitted in the am. That afternoon, the surgeons took out his gall bladder. The next afternoon he went home. I spent eleven days in the hospital for the same thing in '76. All I could do was admire the guy. He was even getting up without assistance and going to the bathroom.

Janet,
I have an upcoming appointment with an oncologist to discuss whatever I will need to do.

Ms Bear,
Both of my surgeries have been in Catholic hospitals just because that was the entity which the insurance provider or the primary doctor had a working relationship with. I was scared to death before my first surgery in '76. I recall first the surgeon came around the night before explaining what could go wrong and to "sign this." Then the anesthesiologist came around explaining what could go wrong and to "sign this." Finally, the Hospital Priest came around wanting to have some time with me.

This time around, I was ready for relief and gladly signed everything they put in front of me.

[sixdogsmom]

Glad that your surgery went well Waldo. It is amazing what they can do these days, but the mighty maker still has his hand in the process. I had out-patient gallbladder surgery in 2003. Went in early in the morning, had the surgery about noon, and was discharged at 5:00, complete with video tape of the procedure. Outside of some nausea, ( I was sick all the way back to Moline), I did very well. On the other hand, Ted had the same surgery, they ran into complications and had to do the old fashioned surgery. Ted ended up with an infection, had another surgery and nearly died. He spent 31 days in the hospital over an out-patient gall bladder surgery. You never know.