The alarms went off at 5:00 AM! Yes, Angela made me set two:) By 6:00 we were out the door and off to Stanford for the big day. Check in was at 6:30 and before I knew it, they called her for some pre-op, prep and gown fitting.
7:30 – Amy and I got to go back to see her, meet the anesthesiologist's and give her one last boost of good thoughts before they whisked her away!
8:15 – She was off to the O.R. We went to the surgery waiting area where we were met by a patient coordinator who showed where Angela was on the big update screen. They show the progress of your loved one by color-coding each step of the surgery.
9:30 – She was listed on the big screen as “handed off” to the surgery staff.
10:30 – Angela’s sister Laurie arrives with good spirits and tales of a rainbow, which she saw on the drive up!
11:00 – We were getting used to waiting when the patient coordinator told us Dr. Whyte was rapping up and would be out shortly to give us the update!
11:15 – Dr. Whyte came out to give us the good news that the tumor was removed with no complications! He said it looked like it was pretty much encapsulated and it lifted right out! He was VERY enthusiastic about the operation. He did say that the final pathology report would determine if radiation treatments would be needed or not.
11:30 to 3:30 – Still in post-op and waiting for a room in recovery. (No visitors were permitted in that area for some reason)
2:00 – Josh gets to see Angela for the first time, he was only allowed two minutes! He really took more!
3:30 – Angela is transferred to her recovery room, which turns out to be shared, much to her dismay.
4:00 to 8:00 PM – We sat with Angela feeding her ice and trying to keep up with what the nurses were doing to control her pain and report her progress. They really wanted her to rest and get as much sleep as possible. Because of the shared room, the nursing staff would not let anyone stay with her that first night. We were all very sad and it was hard to leave her. But, we knew she was in GREAT hands and would be out the rest of the night.
Thanks to everyone for your kind thoughts and prays throughout this journey, especially today! We ALL feel it. Angela is constantly gaining strength from your love and support.
Love,
Stanford Support Team
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Tuesday - it's a very rainy morning here at Stanford. But as I was driving to the hospital this a.m. to see Angela, I was thinking this much needed rain is like Angela's much needed rest and recovery this week.
ReplyDeleteWhile she is very tired, eating lots of ice chips, on pain meds, and in a "lovely" hospital gown, Angela is strong and beautiful. Josh, Laurie, and Amy are being a wonderful support team. Looking forward to visiting again this afternoon (hopefully she's be in a private room by then).
Love,
Ali Morr Kolozsi
alison.kolozsi@stanford.edu
Great, great news!!! Three cheers to a strong, strong woman!! Angela, you are amazing. Feel better, soon! And thank you to her support team for the updates. You all are incredible people.
ReplyDelete