Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2020/12/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Brian, My heart goes out to you and Victoria during this ordeal. Under the best of circumstances it's nerve-wracking getting information from a hospital (or intervening when necessary). Hospitalized relatives become a full-time job. As you noted with COVID it's even worse since you can't be physically present. We had to say goodbye to my brother-in-law via Zoom since, like you, we weren't allowed to visit. A good friend had the same situation with his mother last week. I'm glad Victoria is finished with surgery and can begin her convalescence at home with the world's best attendant. Here's to a garden walk when the flowers return this Spring! Best, Jim Shulman -----Original Message----- From: LUG On Behalf Of Brian Reid Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 10:38 AM To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> Subject: [Leica] thank you all Bill, thank you for keeping LUGgers informed of my wife's accident and thanks to all of you for your good wishes and flower pictures. I must spend the day today seeing to the rental of a medical bed, a wheelchair, a walker, and other such "durable medical goods" that we will need for her convalescence. The layout of this house is such that she will need to sleep in the living room while she requires the motorized bed. I've had family hospitalized before, but this experience was the worst because I was completely cut off from her. The hospital would not let me in the door, and was not able to provide me with any information about her status. No telephone contact, no email, no text messages. Her surgery was re-scheduled 3 times, but I was never notified. Brutal. I eventually found the location inside the hospital's online patient-tracking system in which the doctors filed their notes, and was able to follow what was happening by reading those notes. It takes a certain amount of determination to read the notes of an orthopedic surgeon documenting the use of drills and saws and hammers on your unconscious spouse. My favorite entry from the surgeon's notes was "Instrument, sponge, and needle counts were correct prior to closure and at the conclusion of the case." Nothing accidentally left inside. About 4 hours after the end of the procedure I was able to talk to Victoria on the telephone very briefly, but it was enough to let me sleep. _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information