Well, well, well… I get to be a guest poster!! By no means am I a writer so bear with me, plus daddy has a space (ergonomic my left toe!!) keyboard and I feel like a kid, unable to figure out how to type on it!

Let me tell you a story about the last 7 days where I have  had the pleasure of taking care of 2 active cranky two-year olds…who you ask? Enter my lovely dad and my grandfather! They both. out of great love for me, had the luck to fall apart at the same time. My grandfather had to have a total hip replacement and my dad needed a knee clean up (in my best intercom voice…”clean up on aisle 7″). So I get a phone call from my grandfather saying his surgery is scheduled on Oct 22. Then a week later my dad call me and tells me his surgery is on…wait for it…YEP Oct 22!! Well here comes the dilemma they are of course 2842 miles apart!! Deciding they are trying to kill me…I had to ask one of them to move it…hero dad for getting his rescheduled…a whole 4 days later.

Oct 21 comes around I get off a lovely hell of a 48 hour shift drive 2 hour home from work, pick up Jace and my Grandfather and we drive the hour to the hospital for Pre-Op. Jace had a lovely nap and was all perky when entering the hospital where we of course went to the wrong place and found out he had not just one appointment but two! Mom brain freaks out at this…did I pack enough snacks? Food? Distractions? As with any doctor’s office they were over an hour late, and by the time they came in Jace was past the point of being content.

Training point here for anyone taking care of family members, make sure you know their history going in!!! Somewhere in the dark abyss of his medical chart it has been added that he has a condition where he will die if he were to go under general anesthesia… Umm nope! Dear lady remember me fighting this for 2 months last year??? Well then she brings out the ringer, oh Mr. Carter and looks like you had a testicle removed? Umm, Grandpa looks at me I look at him and we both go, uhh, no pretty sure we would both remember that and God bless Grandpa who states “Well I’m pretty sure I am still feeling 2 of them down there! The RN then gives us prescriptions that have to be filled that night so he can take them before surgery. Next stop Pre-Op in the surgery center where we go through ALL the exact same questions again, couldn’t we have streamlined this and all been in the same room? Jeez! We were still in the same hospital!

Mad rush after that to get to the pharmacy to fill said prescriptions he just had to have. Fast forward to 0600 the next morning and drop Jace off at daycare, drive an hour again to wait for surgery, answer all the same questions over again. Kiss himbye bye and I’m off to amuse myself waiting. Doc finally comes out and has his typical 20 second conversation which I remember none of the questions I have for him. Get to recovery and he is all perky and feeling great! Surgery a success and he will be coming home tomorrow pending perky young RN in training… Who keeps asking me what she is supposed to do, as he is puking his guts out, because Grandpa tells everyone, and I do mean everyone he passes I am a Paramedic Battalion Commander (which sounds like I run an alien ship and everyone looks at him like he has lost his marbles). FYI I don’t recommend the tapioca pudding right after surgery.  Next morning after a long night I drive back to the hospital pick him up and bring him home where he feels great and is walking around.

There was a lot of Grandpa go take a nap you need your rest…and his response “I don’t need a nap I feel great.” Grandpa your hip is still numb, do not push it! Fast forward that night and the pain has kicked in but he doesn’t want to take the pain pills. Finally gives in after a night of calling me to come in and help him turn, put his leg straight, get him up to pee, and on and on. Jace is great at bringing him ice packs, taking him food and bringing his food to the kitchen. Grandpa on the other hand is acting like a picky 2 year old. Doesn’t want to eat, but yet he eats the apple pie, doesn’t want to take his pills, doesn’t want his ice pack…This goes on for 2 days!

Sunday I get up at the awesome time of 0200 to drive to the airport, leaving Grandpa in the hands of Jace and my husband…sorry honey! Giggle Giggle..I’m free! Plane ride to other side of the county..Daddy’s turn! Now he has already done Pre-Op…yipee, but has to be there at 0615….really?? Does no one ever do anything at 1000 in the morning? Get to surgery center and go to one waiting room for 20 minutes then they moved us to a “sub” waiting room??? Finally go back and RN does the quick and dirty medical history but she can’t find her head from her ass! Comes in the room, goes out of the room; oh you have question well let me find out, walks out and comes back and forgot the question. Sigh…

This is not making my medic brain feel strongly about this! Doc is late of course, comes in for 10 seconds then is gone. Ok kick me out…no good byes. Play the waiting game again. Surgery over and 2 for 2 done and went great! Huge sigh of relief for me. Wait to go to recovery where they have him and first thing he asks for is his phone….um no Daddy you cannot have your phone! No calling people all doped up! Of course they waited to give his prescriptions after his surgery so I had to take him and sit him in the car while I ran into to get them! When we get home does he want a pain pill? No he wants COFFEE! You think these boys would listen as I kinda do this for a living…but NO!

Daddy decides he wants to play on the computer after eating bacon and eggs! Finally agrees to take pain pill but will not lay down for a nap…this sounds familiar?? Right??? Finally goes down and I lay down for nap and he calls me on the phone from the bedroom..he is stuck and wants to roll over. Giggling the whole time I roll him over. Thinking finally nap time and no more cranky 2 year old…nope! Wakes up doesn’t want to eat dinner he wants oreos. More of him saying he hurts… Take pain pills… No I don’t wanna… Take them! You need to eat…I don’t wanna…you have to eat with your meds… I don’t wanna. What are you doing?? I want this… Use your words, not just random pointing!

Sit down…put your ice pack on…I can’t feel it…its not working. Then he wants to take a shower… Ummm, Daddy sorry but no. You would have thought I took away his favorite toy…put cranky boy to bed. Long sigh or relief… close my eyes and hear clunk, clunk, clunk of crutches down the hall… Daddy what are you doing? I have to pee… Sigh,  didn’t you do that before you laid down? No, I didn’t have to then!

This has been the adventures of a week in the life of PP…thanks for coming along with me. On a serious note, throughout all of the struggles and lack of sleep this last week I am a very very lucky lady to have these 2 wonderful special men in my life for my son to look up to. They drive me crazy at times but I wouldn’t trade them in for anything. I am blessed both came through surgery great and are on the road to recovery.