Life Isn't Simple

Yesterday was suppose to be an easy day.......be at the hospital by 8:45am followed by a two-hour procedure to install my PORT. But two events throughout the day changed all of that.

We got to the hospital about 15 minutes early and got all checked in. Then we were called back to the "holding" room. And we waited............and waited...........and waited some more. Turns out there had been some sort of emergency in one of the surgery rooms and it put everything behind schedule. I finally got wheeled back to the surgery/radiation room about 2:30pm. (And remember, there was no food or drink for me after midnight). Yes, I was a hungry girl.

I really didn't have any of the typical after-surgery reactions like I was expecting (being goofy, repeating things over and over....stuff like that). My friend Marilynn decided that I should stay with them for a few hours so that I could be monitored. I was exhausted when I got to her place and immediately laid down on the couch for a nap while she prepared dinner. After we finished eating, Marilynn noticed that my bandage was oozing blood and she thought I should go back to the hospital and have them look at it.

The hospital is only about 15 minutes from her house, so we should be there in plenty of time to be seen by the same staff that did the procedure. Leaving just before 6:30pm gave us a one hour window. Imagine our surprise when we got on the freeway and got stuck in a traffic jam. It took us one entire hour to travel two miles (from Rd. 68 to Rd. 100 exits on the freeway). We FINALLY get to Rd. 100 and were directed off the freeway to turn around and go back the way we came. There was no crossing the I-184 bridge from Pasco to Richland. (I'll tell you more about why the backup in a minute). So now we drive towards the Blue Bridge connecting Pasco and Kennewick and then on to the hospital in Richland. And of course there is an accident on the Blue Bridge, which slowed things down some more. So instead of arriving before 7pm to have the oozing checked out, we arrived about 8:15pm. And I waited 3-1/2 hours before getting called back to the ER. Once getting there, it was a simple fix (clean up the site and apply a new dressing). On my way home just after midnight. But I stayed up until almost 1:30am before I could unwind. Morning came early....even though I did manage to sleep in until 7:30am.

...........Now for why the delay traveling to the hospital. There was a two car wreck on the bridge. The first car was having mechanical trouble and the second car ran into car number one, causing a fiery explosion. At least six people were in the two vehicles, including two pre-teen girls that were in critical condition. One of the girls was air-lifted to Children's Hospital in Seattle while I was waiting to get the bandage re-dressed. So, even though we were upset that we didn't get to the hospital "on time", we felt very fortunate that we hadn't started out earlier, thus avoiding being in the accident. God's timing is perfect. We were grateful for His love and sent prayers up to all of the injured people.

I'm leaving for the first Chemo treatment in about 30 minutes. I'm asking for a normal day. Yes, looking for the simple life. Hopefully they will look at the Port and say it looks great and everything will be a go.

Blessings to you all.

More later.