They've Got His Back

Hick's back surgery was Monday. It was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. He needed to leave home by 4:10 a.m. I am not a highway driver, and not very mobile for finding my way around a medical complex and sitting to wait for a six-hour surgery. The Pony and The Veteran stepped up to transport Hick to his destination.

They left here at 4:00 a.m. in The Veteran's truck. When The P and The V left to go get breakfast at 8:00, Hick had been wheeled back to surgery, but was not yet on the board as IN PROGRESS. By 9:00 when they returned, Hick was indeed IN PROGRESS. At 10:15, they got a call from the nurse that every thing was going well, and that Hick should be in recovery between 1:00 and 3:00. Hick had said all along that it was a 4-6 hour surgery. They were putting pins and metal plates in his back, connected to his hip area or pelvic girdle, I assume. Hick tried showing me with his hands, not using anatomical references.

Anyhoo... at 1:12, they had another call. The surgery was going well, but Hick would not be out until at least 3:00. At 3:30, The V called to say that Hick was in recovery. The doctor said the surgery went well. But that Hick was missing a bundle of nerves that controls his foot or feet! The V said they always knew Hick was weird. Anyhoo... the doctor said obviously Hick has those nerves somewhere, since he has been walking his whole life, but they're just not in the compartment where they should be found. Heh, heh. When Hick had surgery on his big toe after dropping a 5th-wheel trailer hitch on it, they found out he was missing a bone, too. Hick is a bargain human. He comes with less parts.

Hick was supposed to have a room by 4:00, but it was 4:45 before that happened. The P and The V went up to visit with him. According to The P:

"We are up here with him. He's awake and aware." At 5:00, "Still talking to doctors and stuff." At 5:12, "He says his pain is about 2/10, didn't want to use his morphine button, but just pressed it."

"They say it's better to stay ahead of the pain. Harder to get it under control when it really hurts."

"Yeah. They brought up a liquid diet tray and some dessert things that hopefully are fine since they know he's diabetic. He's enjoying the push popsicle thing."

"Yeah. Probably starving."

At 6:00, "We're still with him. He's got his phone, and we're getting ready to go."

At 6:07, Hick called me for 3 minutes and 47 seconds. He sounded not like himself. Probably from having a tube stuck down his throat for six hours. He was slurring a little bit.

"Are you on morphine?"

"No. I'm on a diabetic diet."

"MORPHINE! Did you just push the button?"

"No. I can't get up. They say they won't get me up and moving until tomorrow."

"How are you laying?"

"On my back. I couldn't get up if I wanted to. I have so many tubes hooked up to me."

"Are you in pain?"

"Not too bad."

"I won't bother you. You can call ME. Or text. When you feel like it."

"I cain't text! I cain't see! It took me five minutes to call you! Some stuff they put in my eyes."

"Okay. Well. I'll just wait to hear from you."

"Yeah, I'll call you later tonight."

"TONIGHT! I doubt that!"

"Yeah. Maybe not tonight. I'm getting ready to push the morphine button."

I'm surprised he managed to say 'goodbye' before that morphine took him! 

Anyhoo... I'm relieved that this ordeal is over, and I hope the next couple days are not too stressful or painful on Hick. I want the old Hick back! He needs to crawl around under that flip house!