Surgery

Surgery went well. It only took two hours. Dr. Terkonda removed 8 screws, 2 plates, and one implant. All from the right side of my face. Now I'll only set off half of the airport alarms I used to. During surgery he found that the cyst-like growth on the outside of my cheek was 'connected', so he removed that as well. Now the running joke between Andy and my sister, Karen, is that I no longer have a screw loose, but now I have a hole in my head. Isn't it wonderful to have such loving support when you're miles away from home? In all seriousness, I do have to thank everyone for your phone calls and emails showing your love and support. It has truly helped make the miles disappear between us. Here's a picture of the beautiful sunflowers we received from Bobby, Nancy, and family (we loved the fact that even four-legged Trixie was on the card!)...this was the first delivery we ever received at our RV. Normally it would be quite hard to track us down since we're usually on the move. We have missed having fresh-cut flowers in our home.

All in all, the hospital stay was as pleasant as one could be. Longmont United Hospital was built on the Planetree Model which puts the patient first. They encourage family members to stay to help speed recovery. Ironically enough I ended up spending the night in the pediatric ward, because the rest of the hospital beds were full. So much for the room with the mountain view I requested. I told the nurses it was fine considering neither Andy nor I have grown up yet. The room was cheery and we got large water bottles with butterfly and balloon stickers plastered on them. All of the rooms are private with private baths, a T/V with VCR, and Andy had a chair that pulled out into a bed so he could comfortably spend the night. The nurse gave me a backrub before bed; during the night the nurses use flashlights to do their check-ins (they didn't turn on any overhead lights); I could order meals when I wanted and off of a menu; and a volunteer came around during the day with Hepsi, a Therapy Dog. Those are just a few of the things that stood out that made the experience a little more bearable.

I also have to say that my squeemish husband was a real trooper. He stuck around when Dr. Terkonda changed my bandages, he looked at the pictures of the hardware that was removed, and he even held The Bucket for me. After 15 years, he still surprises me! It must be why I love him more and more every day. Note to The Boys: Sorry to be mushy, I know you guys don't like it, but get over it! Ha!