January 4, 2022

I don’t seem to have any notes from the 4th, so I’ll just copy over my Facebook post.

Hey baby, there’s a storm coming up
It’s still about nine miles down range
Don’t get excited
We’re not hoping
Those winds are blowing up
The winds of change

Brief conversation with one of Tim’s doctors; that coiling surgery he’ll be getting, we thought it was at 9/9:30 this morning so we rushed in, isn’t until 12/12:30… but they’re on track to do it, she feels very positive about it, and this will help with the safety of the valve replacement surgery that is still tentatively scheduled for Thursday or Friday (but she said they still haven’t put a definite, in-stone time on it yet).

Other than that….? Since we’ve gotten here, he’s watched Wonder Woman 1984, some very weird Lorax cartoon movie that I don’t remember being part of the book at all, and now he’s searching for a third movie to watch.

I’ll update later this afternoon after the surgery. x o x o, y’all. I really can’t thank you enough for your love, your support, your offers of help and listening. I don’t know how I was lucky enough to be surrounded by all of you, but I’m thanking my stars for it every day.

(I don’t have any new puzzle pictures, so, uh… oh! here’s Tulip, enjoying her cold morning “outside”)

Then a few hours later…

Tim is back from the coil procedure! It’s going to take a while for him to fully come out from under the anesthesia, but the doctor said there were no complications and everything in the surgery was textbook. Next, a few days of recovery, and then valve replacement surgery. Ooof. I asked him if next year for his birthday we could just go to Disney. Dang.

Apparently the only other picture I took that day was from the outside of the hospital, to show where Tim’s room was….

That’s when it was on the 4th floor, Neuro. The next week we moved up to 7, Cardiology.

Let’s see… this was the 4th? This might have been the day that Jenny and Bill left. Billy had flown out a day or two before. And Linda was going to stay with me for a week or two… at least to see Tim through the open heart surgery.

I still can’t thank her enough for staying with me for so long. I eventually felt like I had to send her home – especially when Tim was in a coma; no parent should have to continue to look at their child in that state. And Bill needed her. But I needed her for a little while, and she stayed, and I wasn’t alone, and I can’t thank her enough for that. She was a wonderful roommate, fun to listen to history podcasts with on our drive, and just a joy to be around.

But if you want me
You know where I’ll be waiting for you
If you need me
I’ll be here
True blue
Deep in the heart of nowhere

Lyrics by Bob Geldof
Deep in the Heart of Nowhere