I woke at 7:30am with the confidence that Bill had his surgery and I would be going to the hospital after breakfast and get an update. I celebrated with a coffee in my room!
When I came down to the breakfast room, Lisa (the hostess) mentioned that they had missed a call from someone from the hospital and she thought the message was that, although not completely clear, Bill had surgery and all went well. Great! I enjoyed a breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs and coffee.
As I was getting ready to leave the Manorlodge for the hospital, I met a lovely lady from Michigan. Bobbie and I instantly connected and had a wonderful chat. She cycles...everywhere! Trying to check off every state, every province, and as many countries in the UK and Europe as possible. Oh, did I mention she is 2 months away from her 80th birthday? What a beautiful soul. She was quick to offer any assistance before she checked out and headed on her way. Then, we received a call from Bill's roommate at the hospital. He told me that Bill was just going in now! There wasn't much I could do at the hospital, so I sat down to enjoy my third cup of brew with Bobbie and the others in the breakfast room.
Bobbie, the sweet soul.
I was ready to walk to the hospital when Judy and Jerry, from Nashville, offered to take me there. They were having a quiet day and offered to run me anywhere I needed. Kindness is around every corner. Jerry and I hopped into the car for a quick trip to the hospital. The nurse explained that Bill wouldn't be back on the ward until around 1pm and that he would most likely be spending the night. I quickly contacted my hosts to get the only available room for the night.
Filling my time with tasks and errands was not a problem. Judy and Jerry again offered to drive me the 30 min to Killarney to fetch clean clothes and a few toiletries from where our luggage is stored at Larkinley Guest Accommodation. Car rides are wonderful. They really make you learn about each other. We had a lovely drive with a grest chat. Jerry has given me confidence in one day driving on the left side! We had a coffee with Toni while I sorted and put together some things for both of us. I'm looking forward to getting back to Killarney with Bill to spend more time with Toni and Danny. Once back in Tralee, I got some clean clothes for Bill and changed my own clothes, then off to the hospital again. It was a nice, fresh walk after another Irish rain.
Judy and Jerry Madden - two wonderful angels!
It was 2:30pm at the hospital, and Bill was still not back in the room. 3:00pm. 3:30pm. I must say, my stress has been good, but it was starting to rise. 3:36pm - he finally arrived!
Bill was able to have a laproscopic surgery (yay for faster healing). He did have a fair amount of infection cleared out and has a drain in for a while. He was sleepy and smiling.
I wandered around the hospital while he had a nap, then together, we waited for the surgeon, Mr. Owens, to come report on the surgery. Fun fact: Did you know the Irish tradition dating back to the 18th century is for surgeons to use the title Mr or Ms rather than Dr.? This is a high honour for them. Now, since this is a teaching hospital, and we had so many people show up as a surgical team, we had no idea who really did the surgery until this moment. Boston (the name we gave him) is an intern, not yet a surgeon - lol (you know, like the paralegal who does everything for the lawyer?).
As I was saying, the surgeon gave a detailed report and drew pictures, over which I may have geeked out on a bit. His only concern is to ensure that the drain stay in long enough to be sure all heals well.
Bill was quite tired and hungry. He appreciates all of the well wishes we have received, and he wants everyone to know he is on the mend. We are both so grateful for the compassion and care we have received from everyone.
What adventures will tomorrow bring?