Day 4 is a bit of a misnomer. It is really Day 6, in that there was one day of pre-op, the day of the operation and 4 days in the hospital post-op. That said, I'm pretty sure that no matter how much one wants to go home after an operation like this, even if the patient is ready, the family isn't sure that the patient is ready. At least, that is how I felt.
The day was a series of small victories. After giving 11 vials of blood for a genetic testing study, by mid-morning, Barb called to say that her blood count was low (somehow not surprising) and that they may have to give her blood. In that case, she might not be coming home today after all. They took another sample around noon and by 2 pm she was cleared for discharge. About 3:30, the nurse came in to remove all the heart monitoring equipment and various leads and then Barb took her first shower - which went swimmingly (pun intended). She said it felt great (also not surprising). After her shower, she dressed in her own clothes, also a glorious feeling and we waited for the nurse to give us her discharge instructions.
About 4 pm, the nurse came in with a ream of paperwork, including a wad of prescriptions, a list of other otc medications to purchase and of course all the going-home instructions. At about 4:30, transport arrived to wheel Barb to the door and it was time to say goodbye. For my part, I don't want anymore of us to have to experience all this fun, but if you gotta do it - these folks certainly seem to know what they're doing. - Gil
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