July 30
6:00am
Someone is standing by my bed side I believe I should know, hair already covered with a Surgery Cap. Oh, yeah, the Anesthesiologist from yesterday…surely he does not want to get another go at me.
No, but in his proper, clipped British accent he tells me he had a blood test run and I have something like 4 per whatever when I should have 1,000’s per whatever, in order to wake up after anesthetic. He warns me that it is most likely hereditary and all family members should be checked – most of them were and have it to some degree although it was not quite as pronounced as my situation. Odd thing was both my parents had countless surgeries and no ill effects – could it have been the combo of their blood lines that triggered the reaction in their children?
Anyway Dr. Proper British natters on… he still can’t believe he was not told about us until the countdown (a back handed, accepted apology) and how he is taking it to the highest level so all his colleagues have been made aware of their responsibilities – looks like my Dr.OB/GYN and Dr. D. dodged a bullet when I returned from Never, Neverland.
Funny that – not a Canadian doctor in the bunch – Dr. D. – born in Ireland; Dr. OB/GYN in Italy (the most humble Italian I ever met) and Dr. Proper British, in England. Is it just me or have you noticed as well that Canadian kids don’t seem to grow up to be doctors……
12:Noon
My doctors decided I meet the criteria of having once more reached the land of the living and tell me I will be moved from ICU to the floor where you are, Wonder Baby, so I can see you, feel, you, touch you. Since my blood pressure is creeping upwards to a respectable level, I am offered pain killers but I say, “Why would I want them now? I lived through the worst of the pain already without their help.” This is duly noted on my file and gets me a special status, wherein nurses on the floor I am being moved to, tell the other mothers they should be more like me. I am an example to be followed, don’t you know. This message surely didn’t increase my popularity with other mothers.
3:00pm
I am taken down, up whatever to the floor you are on. The nurses get me all prepped so that when you are brought to me I will be ready for motherhood. You were not in the regular nursery but in the Special Care (where else would one of our family land) since you weighed 2,200 grams (4 pounds, 14ounces approximately at birth). Your head was routinely shaved on the top in case they would need to run IV’s but they did not have to, in the end.