Definitely didn't get much sleep last night, despite the nice hotel room and very comfy bed. From my bed, I had a great view of the bright white sign for the UMMC - seeing it was both comforting and a little unnerving.
While I didn't get much sleep, it's probably safe to assume that Hugh got even less. I finally gave up and got out of bed shortly after 4:30. After taking my shower, I phoned Hugh's room to see if he was awake. I could tell he was WIDE awake and he told me he was ready whenever I was. So, after drying my hair, I knocked on his door at 5:15am.
After checking out of the hotel and stowing a few bags in my car, we took our cool five-minute walk to the UMMC. VERY few people wandering around at 5:30 in the morning and we arrived very quickly. Here's a photo of the entrance in the wee hours.
After arriving, we made our way to the "Same Day Surgery Waiting Area," which was an absolute zoo. Barely any room to sit. But after checking in, we found a little corner to call our own. Huey looked calm as a cucumber and immediately tore into his complimentary USA Today to find out just what happened to his beloved Steelers the day before. He was NOT pleased with their performance and was very generous in sharing all the details of the game with me while we waited.
Soon they called him back to get prepped for the surgery while I tried to figure out a way to carry all of our combined "stuff." About 20 minutes later they called me back to hang out with him until it was time for the surgery. Here's a photo of Mr. Personality as I found him:
I swear he was absolutely holding court: flirting with every nurse and picking on every R
avens fan! Needless to say, they all loved him. His nurse's name was Ilene Cavanaugh - though she was, sadly, only Irish by marriage. She told us a great story about her dad - he had been abandoned as a baby at Camden Station and later named after the police officer who found him and given the last name "Camden."
avens fan! Needless to say, they all loved him. His nurse's name was Ilene Cavanaugh - though she was, sadly, only Irish by marriage. She told us a great story about her dad - he had been abandoned as a baby at Camden Station and later named after the police officer who found him and given the last name "Camden." Dr. Gammie came by and reiterated the procedure for today: attempt to repair the mitral valve as well as a single bypass. After that, Huey had to surrender his hearing aid and glasses, so the nurses had to bend over and talk into his ear - which he loved. How that man manages to flirt without being able to see or hear is beyond me, but it's what we all love about him - his indominate spirit - which I am happy to report is in full effect today. He really did great and everyone should be proud of him.
Dr. Gammie estimates the surgery will take about 3 hours, so I don't really expect to have any updates until about noon. Later, I'll be able to go to ICU to see Hugh, but he'll still be on a ventilator and have no glasses or hearing aid, so I'll probably only be able to hold his hand and give him a big thumbs up.
I'll post later, as soon as I have anything to report. Feel free to email me - I'm delighted with the wireless connection!
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