Wow, what an amazing, heart-rending, hopeful, informative, exhausting week. I don't even know where to begin! I'll start with how to be of help. Once we got to Lew's first appt. (we were so lucky to have a friend who knew where our destination was!)' I had some time while he was going through his initial tests. I remember someone saying how many long halls there were to navigate. So I took this time to run through the days itinerary and found all the places we needed to be (admitting, blood draw lab, etc.) and made sure I knew just where we were going. When we were with Dr. Dake, I listened intently to make sure I could be of help if Lew forgot anything, which he did not. Smart kid I have! The next day would have been perfect if I could have stuffed my nerves, but that was impossible. The best thing to do is just stay as calm on the outside as you can. I did not want my fears to in any way spill into Lew. I even recommend learning the parking garage if you have to use it. (Lew, you understand this one, right?
It is also helpful to know that surgery does not start for about 2 hours after pre-op. Nothing to do while in post op but wait. After a room is assigned, just see what can be of help---cold compresses on forehead, available water, etc. One thing I do recommend is to make a chart for all the meds. It is pretty easy to get confused on timing. Some are every 6 hrs, some am, some pm. Anyway, having it in writing all in one place really helps. Lew was a trooper. He may say that he is a pain wuss, but he rarely complained and really took everything very well. Even that long plane ride home.
If you are the caretaker making this trip with your loved one and have any questions or need any support, just holler! Thank you all for supporting my son with such loving and concerned messages. You are the greatest.
