Our Longest Day

This is a series.  It wasn't going to be, but it is longer than I expected and a lot of things I want to say.


Well, that was very eventful.  We went to the hospital Tuesday around 12:15 pm for Allie's 2 pm surgery.  We were standing there registering her and a Nurse Jayne came up and said, "This is my patient."  She took the chart and said, "No it isn't.  My patient's name is Matthew."  She thought it was Timm that was the patient.   Nurse Jayne decided to take Allie on as a patient anyway.  We checked in the pre-surgery area and got Allie settled.  By then, our associate minister, Michael Dawson, was there. They weighed her, measured her, talked to her and then she put on the "fashionable" gown the hospital gives the kids to wear. 

My Aunt Marie and Uncle Bob came for a while (Thank you!) and sat with us, as well as my parents.  We went through all the paperwork and questions that was required and then it was 1:30 pm.  Michael prayed with us.  Then it was 2:10.  When I realized that, I went out the nurses station and asked what the hold up was.  The nurse was really nice and told me she would call the OR and come talk to us. 

The surgery before Allie's was not going very well and the Dr. G could not put a time limit on it.  The nurse said that only when they pressed him about a time did he even attempt to put a time limit on it.  He said maybe another hour.  She told me that if another hour passed, then call her.  She asked if we wanted someone from their Life Child department to come and get a movie for Allie to watch.  That was nice.  They do not have many movies for older children to watch, but she chose a mindless one she had seen several times, and she began to watch.  Mom, Michael and I sat and talked.  

At 3:45, the nurse came in and told us that the OR called and the doctor was still working on the patient before us and could not leave them.  Of course, we understood, how could you ask the surgeon to just leave the middle of what they are doing?  We didn't know the problems of the family or child before us, all we could do was pray for them.  By then, Allie had not had anything to eat or drink since 9:59 that morning.  She complained of a headache.  I went and told a nurse.  She said she would see about getting something to help.  Several nurses came in and talked to us and told us that she may be getting dehydrated and asked Allie if they could start an IV.  Allie told them she didn't care what they did, but to stop the headache!  I stood at the top of the gurney as they stuck her in the hand and got that started.  She was so brave about it and hardly said "Ouch!"  Those nurses kept talking to her about shopping, vacations, and dogs.  Allie was pretty grumpy, but once the fluids started, she started back to her old self.

By this time, Michael went out to the waiting room to talk to Mike, Timm and my Dad.  (Marie and Bob had left.)  I had not eaten since before 11 and I sent Timm and my Dad down to get me a Diet Coke and some cookies or something.  Allie was okay, but I wasn't leaving until they took her to the OR.  Timm came back with the food and I went out to the waiting room to snack and try and get Michael to leave.  He wouldn't because he would rather sit there and fight traffic.  Good call, I think.  LOL  So we talked in the waiting room and Mike and Mom were back with Allie, as was Timm.  Then Timm came running out and said the anethesiologist was there to talk to her.  YAY!  I go running back and meet Dr. Kibblebeck.  He tells Allie that they are cleaning up the room and that they will be putting meds into her IV and she will go to sleep and not remember anything.  He had her try out her jokes for Dr. G on him and he likes them.  Then he shakes our hands and leaves.  that was between 4:30 and 5:00.

So a few minutes later, the nurse comes in and says they are getting close to taking her.  I am happy by then because this has turned into a long, long day.  Waiting is not a strong suit of ours.  We all were basically forced to stay in an area and wait for Allie's turn.  We wait in traffic, for test results, for other people.  But why doesn't it bother me to wait for Christ's return? 

I hope it is because there is so much work to be done, but I am afraid it is because of the distractions of the world too.  Allie and Timm use to watch a cartoon called "Jimmy Neutron".  This friend of Jimmy's sings this song, "Waiting and sitting.  Sitting and waiting."  that is totally what we were doing on Tuesday.  Not fun, but we knew what we were doing and why.  Do we know what we are doing here for Christ?  I hope you do, but if you don't, I pray you find out soon.

Hebrews 9:28  "...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Don't tarry, Lord Jesus!