A Drastic Change In Plans

I could smell the salt and taste the shrimp. We were ready for a long weekend at the beach. Our bags were packed and sitting by the door. We just had one little thing to do before heading south.

A doctors appointment.

Heather had an appointment for a simple procedure Friday morning at Brookwood hospital in Birmingham. We were driving up and then heading to Orange Beach afterward.

The hospital called Thursday afternoon and gave us a 10:30am arrival time. Not so bad... Still plenty of time for travel. So Thursday night, we got everything ready to go.

Friday morning, Heather's mom came up from Demopolis to ride with us. We got to Brookwood a little early and got Heather checked in.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And a little past noon, they called Heather back to be prepped.

And Sue and I waited........

Finally, they called us back to sit with Heather. And we got to wait back there as well. Around 5pm, 6 and a half hours after arrival, they took her back.

At 6 pm, the ladies in the admitting area and waiting room closed up shop. Sue and I were the only ones left watching the Michael Jackson saga on the TV. (We had tried several times to change the channel, but couldn't figure out how to do it.)

Finally, Dr. Houserman came out to talk to us. She told us that the procedure had ended up being more complicated than she had originally planned.

Of course. That's the only way things go with us.

I'm not going into details because Heather really doesn't want the world reading the details, but she had a whole lot done. She has a 3" bikini cut and basically had a c-section without the baby. She had several fybroids and cysts removed, as well as a lot of scar tissue. She is in a good bit of pain, and will be off of work for 6 weeks.

So I don't think I have to tell you, that we spent the night in Birmingham instead of Orange Beach. They checked her into the Women's Center at Brookwood, and Sue and I settled in.

Now of course, I hadn't put the bags in the car. We had planned to come back through Tuscaloosa to get Hershey. So we had nothing as far as toiletries or clothes. And Hershey was in the house and had not been outside all day.

So once Heather got situated, I came back to Tuscaloosa to take care of things.

God bless our friends, Chris and Jessica. They came and got Hershey and kept her for us. And I grabbed the packed bags and headed back to Birmingham.

Heather's cousin, Jane Ellen, brought Sue and I some sandwiches and plantain chips from a new Cuban restaurant in Vestavia Hills. WOW!!!!! It was sooo good! And it saved us from hospital cafeteria food Friday night.

Now let me just say that I have never had to spend the night in a hospital as a visitor until this weekend. And I am so thankful for that. Mainly, because of the loved one not being sick factor, but also because I ended up crammed into a lumpy loveseat sleeping fitfully between nurse visits. Finally about 4am Saturday morning, I was up for good.



Heather was starving of course. So she ordered breakfast and shortly it arrived. She eagerly tore the top off of her pancakes and her face told it all....


She said I could post that picture.

The pancakes and sausage were pitiful looking.


The pale spot on that sausage was where it wasn't completely done.

So I went down to the cafeteria and got her something else. While down there, I ended up finding the best thing of the whole weekend. Fruit Loop Treats!


Now I am a huge fan of the Rice Krispy Treat. In fact, I could eat them by the panful if I knew I wouldn't regret it the next time I put on my pants. But I had never heard of Fruit Loop Treats! Where in the world have these been all my life? That's what I want to know.

Heather's doctor said that although she would rather her stay until Sunday, that if everything was "moving along" accordingly, that she could go home Saturday afternoon. So we left around 5pm and headed home.

Hershey didn't even miss us at all. In fact, she acted mad that she had to come home. So much love....

In the end, we found out a lot that has been inhibiting our trying to have a baby. So this was all a good thing. Dr. Houserman said that all looks good now. So at least it was for the best.

We've spent the rest of the weekend laying around, watching TV, and visiting with close friends. I'll stay home tomorrow (Monday) and then friends and family will stay the rest of the week.

Although she's in a good bit of pain, Heather is doing very well. She probably won't be on the Wii anytime soon though.

And oh yeah.... don't cry for me Orange Beach. We'll be back down there before you know it!

Ya'll have a great week!