No Tents Allowed

This past week was Phil's surgery. Things went really well and we are home now. He had the left, upper lobe of his lung removed because of cancer. Chemo will follow soon. He is an exceptional patient and is anxious to do all the things he is supposed to do and willing to not do the things he is not supposed to do (although that is harder).

The morning of the surgery we had to be at the hospital to check in at 5:45 a.m.! My mom and sister, Heather, stayed in the hotel with Eden while Phil and I went to check in. Then we waited and waited and waited some more. He didn't actually get in the OR until 3:00 p.m.! A little ridiculous. Apparently the hospital has had some problems with waiting room etiquette because we were presented with a pamphlet which included the following instructions:

• Please do not move the furniture.
• Please place your used food trays, cups, newspapers, etc., in the waste cans.
• No coolers.
• No Air mattresses or Tents
• No Electrical Appliances
• Eating is not allowed in the waiting rooms. (So from where are the before-mentioned food trays coming?)
• No one under twelve (12) years of age may visit.
  

You know that they wouldn't randomly put these things in print unless they'd actually had problems (probably more than once). A tent???

For a time the volunteers weren't sure where Phil was (somehow he was misplaced between the prep room and the OR). After the surgery I asked Phil if he knew that they had "lost" him for a while. The poor guy thought I meant he had died on the table and was disappointed that he didn't get to have a near-death experience. Oops. I guess I need to choose my words more carefully.

The cutest thing was after the surgery when Phil said to the nurse, "we have a baby, a four-month old girl. Well, she's my daughter, and I'd like to see her!" Anyone who knows Phil, knows that this demanding attitude is extremely rare. An exception to the 12 year old rule (see rules above) was granted. I went immediately over to the hotel (which is conveniently connected to the hospital) and got Eden. It was absolutely adorable to see both of them grinning wildly when I brought her in. She was able to visit each day and the nurses and others on the floor quite enjoyed having her around.

All in all it was a successful week. Eden did just great with my mom and sister and Phil seems to be recovering well. I'm grateful for such blessings!