History Repeating

The Three Ladies on Wednesday Afternoon - Symptoms Had Already Started

I know I’ve been away for a couple days but I have a very valid excuse. I was awoken in the very early morning hours yesterday which is not an unforeseen occurrence due to the residence of my granddaughter and attendant problems adjusting to east coast time. This however was an entirely different situation. My daughter was seated at the top of the stairs and said she needed to go to the emergency room. Realizing my daughter has been “blessed” with the family trait of high pain tolerance this scared the hell out of me. I knew she wouldn’t even be thinking of this unless the pain was excruciating.

I was Actually Trusted with Child Care for Part of Wednesday Morning
She Destroyed my Tie But Had a Lot of Fun Doing It

As she stopped by the downstairs bathroom to empty her stomach I was transported back more than thirty years. I’ve written before about the time I was just starting an Army course in Kansas and spent the entire first day between classes prostrate under the table in similar pain when I wasn’t emptying my own stomach repeatedly. I knew as we headed to the hospital what the doctors were going to take three additional hours to figure out – she needed to have her appendix taken out.

Gramma Held the Fort Back Home All Day

Her experience was so eerily similar to my own that I wanted to tell her that I was sure what it was but I held out hope I was wrong. I saw her go through the same series of rationalizations I did sitting in a similar emergency room three decades ago. I was so happy we had such a great hospital as UMASS so close by and they certainly did right by her yesterday. I was also so grateful she was here with us and the resident child care provided by my wife while I accompanied her to the hospital.

Back Home Last Evening After one of Longest Days of her Life

I hate hospitals. I hate being in them, this despite or maybe because I spent my high school years working in one. I spent the entire day there yesterday being reminded constantly that no matter old your child gets, she/he will always be the center of your universe and having them in danger is not fun. The best news was the progress medical science has made since my own experience. They now do the surgery via laparoscope instead of cutting the abdomen wide open. By 4pm, after an exhaustingly long day, she was ready to come home sans certain vestigial organs.

I Got My Mommie Back!!!!

This was the longest she and her daughter had ever been apart and the reaction of my granddaughter to the return of her mother was something to behold. She’s been carefully holding onto her arm ever since. I always bragged about being back in class after my appendectomy after missing only one day. In the face of where medicine is nowadays I’m going to have to retire that boast. I’m just so thankful she came through this with her usual strength and courage.

A very interested and frustrated party to yesterday’s events was of course Wingman. I don’t think his mind was on the mid-west concert halls he was haunting yesterday as the love of his life faced surgery. I provided blow by blow updates as the day went by which I think he appreciated but it had to be maddening to be so far apart for a day like that.  To top it off today is his birthday and I’m sure his only birthday wish yesterday was that his wife came through as gallantly as she did. He’ll certainly remember the first days of this phase of the band’s farewell tour. I’m so glad he’s now firmly part of the family. He truly is a son to me now. Happy birthday Wingman.

Birthday Boy and his Biggest Fan

Last Night in Omaha