Scotland Chapter 5

Old postcards of the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary

When the doctor came to look at me and tell me about my surgery I could not believe it. He looked like a young Hugh Grant! I hollered at my girls Cherie and Isla that the hospital sure has cute doctors! They chimed in and said "They only come to see you!" You should have saw the doctors face......he turned all shades of red and about folded! I think Ross couldn't believe I did that! It was really cute! That is how the girls and I became fast friends. We were a trio already!

So, I am now ready to go to surgery and they come to get me. I am feeling so sorry for my husband because here we are alone in a strange country and I am getting ready to go get surgery and I could tell he was totally stressed out and as afraid as I was. they said they hoped to do laproscopic surgery but if it was too bad they would have to open the knee up to do a good job. I must tell you I had the morbid thought and made them promise they would not do more to me than they said....I had a vision of waking up with NO leg....


hospital as it looks today pictured above

Our friends had gone home hours earlier and they told hubby to call when he was ready to have them come back and pick him up. He wanted to stay with me at the hospital, and knew I was afraid to be alone. When they came to take me to surgery he followed the gurney down the hall and expected to be led to a waiting room for family of surgery patients, you know like we all are used to. We got to the elevator and the nurse said to him, "You can't go with us". He said "I want to hear how her surgery went from the doctor". The nurse said to him "no provisions for that, you can see your wife tomorrow at 2 o'clock in the afternoon during visiting hours"

Well it was 10:30 pm and that is a long time to wait to see someone who is as sick as they said I was, who was having surgery!

Now he had to call my 86 year old mother that he had no idea what was going to happen or would happen to me! Can you imagine? Those of you who know my mom will not imagine how hard that was! To top it off my mom was not well at the time either because she had taken a horrible fall and was now suffering with vertigo. Thank goodness my niece and great nephew came to take care of her and she wasn't at home alone. That would have been horrible and I would have worried myself sick!

When we got on the elevator the male nurse who was pushing my gurney said to the floor nurse, "You should have not done that to her husband because they are from so far away". She said, "it's the rule" and he said "don't do that to someone like them again" . Somehow I don't think she took that to heart...I am sure she will do it again. She was young and doesn't have enough life experience to know it was a bad thing.

The last thing I knew was I was in "theater" (what they call surgery) and the anesthesiologist was there waiting to knock me out. I do remember saying to her, now there will not be any big surprise for me will there please. She said no surprise.

Hubby found a compassionate nurse who did direct him to a room he could wait in while I was in surgery and he saw me come back to my ward. He did come in and see me to make sure I was okay before he called Richard to come get him at about 2am.

I was out of surgery and there was no more he could do. Richard and Angela came to pick him up.
Hubby sitting in my window Ward 43

to be continued.............................don't want to wear you out to quickly! :)