Out with the Old, In with the New

Not long after I made the last post, I went to the cafeteria to get some dinner. As I was wandering around looking for something, I got a call for another update. They said the new heart was in and beating at 100 beats a minute. She was still open, but she wasn’t on any mechanical assistance. Just a temporary pacemaker to keep things beating smoothly. I was looking for sushi, but they were out, so I grabbed a bean burger and fries. When I checked out, I noticed that I had gotten the employee discount. I guess the security guards aren’t the only ones who think I’m staff! I was sporting my red Raise a Hallelujah shirt with an anatomical heart on it, maybe I looked official! After that news, I was raising a hallelujah for sure, though!

The recliner I had eyed was empty when I left for the cafeteria. My plan was to nab it when I returned. A lady who’d been at the other end of the waiting room had come over and been in and out of it after she sat there while they talked with a doctor. She was back in it, so I grabbed my same chair, which I’d left my water bottle in, to claim, I like staying in the same spot. After I finished eating, the lady left. I gave her a while before I moved in on the seat, about 20 minutes. Long enough where I wasn’t taking it if she was in the bathroom or something. The recliner was in a small area with the vending machines almost in the middle of the room, which didn’t seem to bother her, as people had to walk around her to get anything from the machines. I moved a side table and pushed it as far back in the corner as I could. I had every intention of lying back in that thing!

About another 20 minutes or so, the lady rounds the corner with a blanket and pillow. She was nice at first, then she went to find another spot. As she went to a nearby corner, I heard her say something about finding a dark corner. When she walked back by, she just snarled at me. I’m sorry, but I didn’t feel bad, and wanted to say you snooze, you lose. There’s only one recliner, and it’s in a small room with hardly any other chairs around, plus it was getting late; it’s going to be a highly coveted spot to sit. I gave her ample time to come back and get it, too. I have never seen a recliner in a waiting room before you can bet you butt I was going to make a move on that thing for a possible all-nighter here!

I got another update about 11. Amanda was still open; they were just making sure there were no leaks or anything awry before they closed. But the nurse said things were looking good. I was comfortable enough to get a nap after that news. I lay my coveted recliner back and tossed and turned a bit. I ended up in a fetal position to keep my feet from dangling and falling asleep. I was out good with my mouth wide open when the receptionist woke me at midnight. She wanted to let me know that Amanda was already back in a room. I got a good 20-30 minutes of sleep, at least I wasn’t drooling when she woke me! She asked if the surgeon had been by; he had not. She mentioned it might be a bit since there was another heart transplant going on. 

It wasn’t 30 minutes after that when the surgeon came in. I heard ‘Simmons’ and pooped out to little hidden vending machine siesta room. He said she’s out of recovery and doing well. And they’d start to slowly wake her up soon. I asked about a pump, and he said Oh no. One of the other surgeons said if needed, they may do ECMO; they leaned toward that over a balloon pump, but thankfully, the heart didn’t need it, and they woke up fine. He said it just took a while because of all the scar tissue. With four hours from open to new heart in and beating, I thought that was fast compared to before. But they did do some extensive reconstruction last time. 

I was pretty awake after my nap, and the good news was that she was out and I had an update from the surgeon. So I thought I’d give y’all an update. After I see Amanda, I’ll head to the hotel for a longer nap, then come back after the shift change in the morning. After I see how she is doing, I’ll probably run to check on an apartment. I need to tie something down to keep from staying in a hotel long, it’s just the feasible thing to do. I have my air mattress topper to sleep on for a bit until our stuff is brought up.

The more I look at apartments, the ones that seem to be a good deal are in bad areas, or bad apartments in good neighborhoods. The reviews are the tell-all. Most of the cheaper ones are either 5-star or 1-star reviews, nothing in between. With the one-star exclaiming that the five-star reviews were paid for! One said the best thing about the apartment was moving out! So after the further investigation, I nixed a few off my list. The one standing tall is a little higher, but not much over the other similar ones. It’s in line with all of them and ranges from $500 to $1000 more a month than a 12-month lease, depending on how short of a term you go with. They really stick it to you here for a shorter-term lease. I think 6 months is the sweet spot, but I’m hesitant to lease something that long. Amanda was pretty confident we’d need it that long. I’m going to weigh the options tomorrow, but have every intention of signing a lease to start on the 1st.

A nurse just came into my vending machine area and said You have the best seat in the house. I replied I know, and wanted to tell her how contended of a spot it was! She stood in turmoil, staring at the vending machine. I almost told her “Get a 55,” which were Oreos that I’d sampled not long before my nap! I just got another snarl from the recliner lady as she rolled by to see if I was still here! I’m sure she was woken by the loudest 1 am cleaning lady ever! Definitely not the sweet housekeeper we have on the transplant floor.