Where's the Silver Lining?

We wait

Robert had surgery yesterday evening. He was in there for about two hours while the the doctors cut the pockets of infection out of his foot.

I was with him in the holding room, until they took him in. The anesthesiologist spoke with us and asked some questions. He wanted to know if we knew what kind of heart problem showed up on Robert's EKG and then if we knew that the blood pooled in one chamber and couldn't be pumped. We told him we didn't know that, but then I told him what the cartiologist told us about the viral infection settling in Robert's heart sometime in the past, and the heart muscle being left so weak that surgery was out of the question, too risky. The doctor said that answered everything. He also told us that Robert might not survive the anesthesia, but there was a chance. There wasn't any chance for him without the surgery.

Whew, that's scary. Anyway, I waited in this small room during the surgery, alone, praying, and scared. The surgeon acme out and told me that Robert had gone through the surgery just fine, but now we had to wait. All he could give us was hope that the foot would be saved, but we needed to realize that Robert could still lose half his foot, and his whole foot and up his leg.

Today, the hospitalist, Dr. Grode, in charge of Robert's case, came in and told us that Robert will be moved to a long-care facility tomorrow after the surgeon removes the dressings and it's redressed. Every day, Robert will be brought to the hospital for treatment. At the long-care center, he will receive the medical care he still needs, like antibiotics too strong to be given anywhere but under professional medical care. He will be there at least three weeks.

I feel so alone.