The surgery that almost WAS

SHORT answer to why Bob still has his melanoma. We waited 6 hours, we left, we are waiting to reschedule or cancel… If you don’t want to read a book about it, you may escape the blog NOW… thanks for caring.

I am a ‘talker’ thus I ‘talk’ too much when writing. You have been warned.

Bob’s Melanoma outpatient surgery was scheduled at  9, surgery at 11.  Pre-op IV and vitals completed by 9:30. We wait…………….. 6 patients sent to sit in waiting room, there is No room to hook up more victims, patients until some of us move on to surgery holding unit.

Word is our surgeon is Stuck In Cath Lab… (????? I don’t know either) I am stuck in pre-op with a white haired BEAR that last had food at 5 pm the night before which is 19 hours plus no coffee and never wanted to be there in the first place.

3 hours after IV, At noon, they roll Bob and 3 others to a backup holding room. We can tell this because the room is full of equipment that has been pushed in the corner right in front of the back hurting gurney the bear is on. Nurse says one more hour.

12:20 Surgeon appears in fake holding room. “I am stuck in the cath lab” at least another hour. (How did she get out occurs to me) and THEN she says Let me mark the site to be ready when I get out. Bob sits Up, she says where is the site? I point to lower shoulder thinking she is verifying so she doesn’t cut out the wrong thing. She says is it this scar or that scar, he has many. I say I think it is this. Supposed to 3 cm wide and deep as you can go. She says.. I spoke to a melanoma specialist and he says don’t take the whole scar, only take the margin around the biopsy site. Are you sure this is it? Well I think so.

She draws a small purple circle and LEAVES to become stuck in the cath lab, which I know she has been in since 8, because she answered her cell while standing there drawing the circle and snapped I HAVE been in the hospital since EIGHT…. (we can assume the 3 people waiting for her behind us are calling the office to complain) 

Bob and I start to yammer because he is threatening to pull IV and leave, which he has been known to do in past years. 2002 in fact. The nurse covering lunches says are you OK? NO! I am not ok and fill her ear with the above story.

She walks away comes back with her phone and sits down to entertain us with photos of her dogs and bunnys and children, because she heard me fretting over Big home alone. She was keeping us occupied because she called the Direct of Nursing and she appeared and the nurse left.

By this time is is 2:20 Bob with no food.coffee now at 22 hours. The gist of her story was she had spoken to Doctor IN CathLAB and it will be at LEAST another hour and if it gets to late it will have to be rescheduled. She said your option is to leave now and reschedule or wait another couple of hours and still maybe reschedule.

I say we will leave now on top of Bob’s voice saying it at the same time. I said what if I cancel it. We are not sure we want to do this and I tell her the story. She says you can discuss that with her. I said what about what you did here yesterday and today, the insurance will not pay if we leave. She said they will if you reschedule I say I don’t want him going under anesthesia with the breathing tube down his throat for that tiny incision that could be done in an office. She says give me five minute, makes a call and says they will not charge us. RIGHT I am thinking.

We choose to leave and reschedule or cancel and find another way. We want the surgery to be done with a local, not anesthesia since it is half the size of what was done with local at another time and Doctor.

That is where we are now… he still has the Melanoma and I still have the HEADACHE of dealing with insurance, doctors and BOB. We have not heard from the Surgeon Office, she may still be Stuck In The Cath Lab..

UPDATE! the Surgeon called me at 8:45 and started the conversation with an apology and assured me there would be no anesthesia, but local and that she knew where it is and also had a lengthy talk with a Melanoma specialist. the incision will be narrow but deep and must be done as out patient in case of bleeding or something out of the ordinary that could not be handled in a chair... I am satisfied and she said they would schedule us for first on next Thursday.

and next week will be day before blood work and same old same old AGAIN with the white headed bear.