"You have to be here at 9:45 AM to check in and get the paperwork done so you can be prepped and ready for surgery at noon."

I called Allen and told him the schedule and he said he would pick me at between 9 and 9:15 AM.

On Monday morning I was up--YES, ME!!!--at 7:15 AM--besides getting ready for the hospital I had to prep the birds for being alone the first time for at least 36 hours--foolish me I thought I would be getting out of the hospital on Tuesday around Noon--which meant be sure they had plenty of water and food.

Show you how my mind works--they introduced a new way of playing Play4 on the lottery--I made Allen stop on the way to the hospital so I could buy tickets for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so in case my numbers came out I'd have a winner and if I didn't make it out of surgery my heirs would at least get some money!!! :O)

Got to the hospital, did all the paper work, got prepped and was ready to be operated on at Noon--nope, that would be too easy--I wasn't taken into the operating room until 7 PM!! I won't go into all the inconveniences like having the body hair shaved off, being awoke all during the night for vital measurements, etc.

At 9 AM I was ready to go--all I needed was the surgeon's signature--after 2 awful hospital meals (well, breakfast wasn't that bad--French toast, scrambled eggs, coffee, milk and fruit) and it being 4 PM, I, who is very patient, started to get uptight and mentaling fuming. I, nicely, told the head nurse that if the doctor didn't come and sign me out I was leaving. Seems my surgeon was off for the day and other doctors were covering for her.

Finally, at 4:15 PM (by which time I had changed into my regular clothes) one of the doctors showed and the head nurse immediately had him sign all the papers, took the IV out and removed the heart monitor and I was on my way.

I don't have a single complaint about the nurses and aides and I do understand emergencies happen--that was the main reasons for the delay in getting operated on--seems my surgeon had to operate on a guy who came in with a massive heart attack--but the administrators are the pits!!! They were short hospital beds (the nurses kept a running tally of patients waiting for beds and available beds) and here I am and the guy who was also in my room are ready to leave and we had to wait close to 7 hours to get discharged.

And then I was given the bad news!!!