Looking back and preparing
Topic: humor in strangeplaces
In 1999 my youngest son Pat (then 7 years old) had to have pacemaker surgery. We found out that he had a blocked SA node when he was 4 through pure luck. I'd brought him in for an exam at the office of a friend of ours who was a family practictioner but also worked a lot with cardiology patients. He said Pat's heartbeat was way too slow and we were referred to a pediatric cardiologist and it went on from there.
So in 1999 we went to Seattle along with our other son Tom. When we brought Pat in for the surgery prep and to talk to the surgeon ,Pat was handling it very well. When Pat asked if it would hurt after the surgery the surgeon said it might just feel like a scrape. (The incision was going to be about 3 inches long)
That started Pat on a lengthy question and answer session
What kind of scrape?
Like when you fall off a bike and scrape your knee
A big scrape or a little one?
Well not a very big one.
Pat kept on and on and I could see he was getting upset and I also knew the longer he asked questions he thought maybe he wouldn't have to do this. I was practicaclly in tears myself.
Just then a nurse came in and said Pat had to drink some medicine to help him relax before the surgery. That went smoothly and after the surgeon left we waited for the medicine to take affect a little.
Well, work it did and Pat was soon laughing at everything we said to him and to eachother. When we had to take him in the wheelchair to see the anesthesiologist, Tom said he would push his brother. He pushed Pat very slowly down the hallway, maybe about a twenty foot trip and the entire way Pat was calling out "Wheeee!" and giving a big belly laugh. My husband and I couldn't help but laugh too. I was so relieved that he wasn't nervous anymore.
The anesthesiologist let us stay while he put Pat under and he told Pat a story about a hippopotomus.
Tears were rolling down the faces of my husband and me but my sweet little Pat fell asleep with a smile on his face.
He's doing great now and is will be 13 this month.
Thank God for both of our boys.