Well after the appointment with Dr. Grim we headed back upstairs to finish the pre–op crap. We finally got done talking with the anesthesiologist and the nurse at 5:30 then we went to the pharmacy to pick up the antibiotics. We didn’t get out of there until 7:30pm then went out to find our car. The Valets were all gone so we had to track down a police officer to give us the keys to our car. Then we froze our butts off walking down to the very bottom end of the parking lot in the snow to get our car! We made it back to the motel by about 8pm, had some microwave lasagna and now we’re just kicking it, enjoying the fact that we got this super stressful day behind us. We leave for home in the morning….

2-17-09

We arrived at Seattle VA hospital at 6am after a long sleepless night at the motel. We are nervous and exited about Gator getting the procedure done to get his voice back. We are also very worried that it won’t work! He’s been without a voice for 5 months now and we all know that one of the many special things about Gator is his voice. He’s been told that it’s too bad there isn’t a way to bottle that voice up! Several years ago my Aunt Darla had lung surgery and was in a coma for 2 days after the surgery. She just wouldn’t wake up. Gator walked in the room and told her “Come on Sweetie, you gotta wake up…how we gonna go for that motorcycle ride if your laying there in that bed? Heh, Heh, Heh……” She smiled and opened her eyes! I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been standing there and witnessed it myself!! LOL

So anyway we clock in at the Same Day Unit at 6am, and they call Gator at 6:15. At 6:40 they wheel him by me right passed the waiting room door. This never happens, he usually has to come back to the waiting room dressed in the hospital gown and slippers. I hate that! They make these veterans dress in a hospital gown and come back into the waiting room in their stocking feet and the ones with dentures have to turn their teeth over to loved ones or leave them in a locker and then come sit in front of a bunch of strangers. How humiliating! This time they take Gator and send him straight to surgery. There I sit for the next 3 hours worrying about every little risk the doctors warned us about! I’m worried about Gator not being able to breathe again on his own after they try to remove the breathing tube or not being able to swallow again or the procedure just not working!