Thursday, October 07, 2004
OUR FIRST FEW DAYS AT FITZSIMMONS....APRIL 1980....
My first morning to wake up at Fitzsimmons was a surprise. The date was April 11, 1980 and I had packed clothes for our season at home. When I glanced out the window, big, fluffy flakes were coming down and there was about 2-inches of snow on the ground. Back home the redbuds and dogwood were blooming, along with all of our Spring flowers…the hills were green. Since I had to walk everywhere I went, I was naturally concerned for a moment but I made it to the hospital just fine. I went to the cafeteria first, after getting a “pass” to give me the privilege of eating in the hospital which was handy and the prices were reasonable. I had a quick breakfast so I could get up to Warren’s room before the doctor’s made their rounds.
By 7:00am I was in his room but things weren’t too good. The flight made the infection kick up and his fever was back. His blood pressure was up and the I.V. was back. He looked pretty worn out. His doctor came in and briefed us on his intentions….first thing was to give us a better room so we needed to gather his things up. He hoped to close the stump the first of next week but it depended on being free of the fever and bringing his blood pressure down. For now, at least, the better room was a bonus.
The day was spent with routine visits by the hospital personnel and went quickly. Warren fell asleep before 9:00pm so I was able to catch a ride back to the Guest House….lone women were encouraged to catch the “Duty Ride” for safety so I found out where and how to avail the service. I didn’t relish the 6-block walk in the dark again.
The next day I found things better when I arrived…they had removed the I.V. and Warren looked considerably sharper and was in good spirits. I think the long flight took a lot out of him the day before. I stayed by his bed the whole day again and was surprised and happy to see aunt Beulah come walking in our room with her brother and his wife. It was so good to see someone from home. Aunt Beulah was visiting her brother, who lived in Denver, so they decided to come over and see how we were. Their visit was much appreciated by both of us.
The phone calls began catching up with us and we had several calls from family and friends…..with the normal routine required to keep Warren comfortable and healing, the day went by in a hurry. Again, I caught the Duty Ride back to my room and went to the laundry area in the basement to wash a load. I was beginning to get used to things and feel more at home.
It was Sunday the next day and the brunch in the cafeteria was very good. I was becoming familiar with the lady that took the money and the servers as we became used to seeing each other on a regular basis. It was good to exchange smiles and a few words with someone since I usually ate alone. I had to laugh when I came down the line with my tray and read a sign in front of the fried bologna that said… “God will get you if you take more than two slices….” I asked the server why bologna was such a treat and he said he didn’t know but the patients and staff loved fried bologna with their eggs for breakfast. I didn’t take any (after all, there was ham, bacon and sausage) but I did enjoy the humor. It was welcome around so much serious stuff going on.
This same routine went on for several days as they waited for Warren to rid himself of the infection. We met the doctor assigned to him….Dr. Campbell. He seemed like he was on top of things and we liked him at once. We also met a Dr. Rich who stopped by. They are hoping to take Warren to surgery tomorrow. We got our first mail today and since the staff was short today, they asked if I would give Warren his bath and wash his hair. I readily agreed. Later, we took his first ride in a wheel chair. It was such a pretty day, the nurse said it would do us good to get a little fresh air.
I can still see the scene as it was then. We wheeled out to an area on the roof-top that was like a patio area. The mountains were white against a sky so blue it hurt your eyes to look at it. The snow glistened so we had to squint. Somehow, just being out of the building was uplifting…..life seemed so normal outside…planes going over, traffic below, familiar sounds……hearing a bird sing was music to our ears. Tomorrow, Warren would have the final surgery to close the stump. We were both glad that we were near the end of the surgical part of his rehabilitation. After that, we could begin the long journey that would eventually take us back home……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
By 7:00am I was in his room but things weren’t too good. The flight made the infection kick up and his fever was back. His blood pressure was up and the I.V. was back. He looked pretty worn out. His doctor came in and briefed us on his intentions….first thing was to give us a better room so we needed to gather his things up. He hoped to close the stump the first of next week but it depended on being free of the fever and bringing his blood pressure down. For now, at least, the better room was a bonus.
The day was spent with routine visits by the hospital personnel and went quickly. Warren fell asleep before 9:00pm so I was able to catch a ride back to the Guest House….lone women were encouraged to catch the “Duty Ride” for safety so I found out where and how to avail the service. I didn’t relish the 6-block walk in the dark again.
The next day I found things better when I arrived…they had removed the I.V. and Warren looked considerably sharper and was in good spirits. I think the long flight took a lot out of him the day before. I stayed by his bed the whole day again and was surprised and happy to see aunt Beulah come walking in our room with her brother and his wife. It was so good to see someone from home. Aunt Beulah was visiting her brother, who lived in Denver, so they decided to come over and see how we were. Their visit was much appreciated by both of us.
The phone calls began catching up with us and we had several calls from family and friends…..with the normal routine required to keep Warren comfortable and healing, the day went by in a hurry. Again, I caught the Duty Ride back to my room and went to the laundry area in the basement to wash a load. I was beginning to get used to things and feel more at home.
It was Sunday the next day and the brunch in the cafeteria was very good. I was becoming familiar with the lady that took the money and the servers as we became used to seeing each other on a regular basis. It was good to exchange smiles and a few words with someone since I usually ate alone. I had to laugh when I came down the line with my tray and read a sign in front of the fried bologna that said… “God will get you if you take more than two slices….” I asked the server why bologna was such a treat and he said he didn’t know but the patients and staff loved fried bologna with their eggs for breakfast. I didn’t take any (after all, there was ham, bacon and sausage) but I did enjoy the humor. It was welcome around so much serious stuff going on.
This same routine went on for several days as they waited for Warren to rid himself of the infection. We met the doctor assigned to him….Dr. Campbell. He seemed like he was on top of things and we liked him at once. We also met a Dr. Rich who stopped by. They are hoping to take Warren to surgery tomorrow. We got our first mail today and since the staff was short today, they asked if I would give Warren his bath and wash his hair. I readily agreed. Later, we took his first ride in a wheel chair. It was such a pretty day, the nurse said it would do us good to get a little fresh air.
I can still see the scene as it was then. We wheeled out to an area on the roof-top that was like a patio area. The mountains were white against a sky so blue it hurt your eyes to look at it. The snow glistened so we had to squint. Somehow, just being out of the building was uplifting…..life seemed so normal outside…planes going over, traffic below, familiar sounds……hearing a bird sing was music to our ears. Tomorrow, Warren would have the final surgery to close the stump. We were both glad that we were near the end of the surgical part of his rehabilitation. After that, we could begin the long journey that would eventually take us back home……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
