Still at the Hospital

Caleb’s take on yesterday: “For one night I was at the hospital and I was waiting for my cut in my skin to heal cause I had an operation and my belly button’s got inside now and not outside anymore and mom was at home and dad and Aaron were at home and I was at the hospital with the nurses and the nurses looked after me. And I’m feeling better now.”

Nick dropped me off at the hospital shortly after 7. It was raining and very windy this morning so I didn’t want to walk up. Caleb was looking so much better. He was just sitting with the bed propped up, looking like his normal self. I helped him have a wee in the potty again, and since he’d had a drip in the whole night, there was lots of it! A nurse came and unhooked the drip and capped off the plug in his arm, leaving the drip attachment in. Caleb was concerned that this shouldn’t stay in his arm very much longer, certainly that it should be taken out before we came home! Svetlana, the anaesthetist and fellow-Pretorian, came in to see him at about 8.20 and chatted a while, then Dr Kardam came after 9 to check on him, and declared him fine to go home. We have to go back to the hospital on Monday for the dressing to be changed, and then again on the 18th to see the doctor. The stitches are on the inside, and will dissolve away. So then we got the drip thingie taken out, which made him cry because the tape was stuck fast to his arm. I got him dressed, and then we spent the rest of the morning while waiting for Nick, reading, chatting, and playing with the little things I had bought for him. Nick came at 10.45 and carried Caleb to the car, and from the car to the couch. Caleb’s only walked about four steps since the op because he says he can’t. He’s being quite dramatic about the whole thing and isn’t moving around very much at all, which is a good thing, but will get rather tiresome! Anyway, we’re watching another video this afternoon when Nick gets back from prison ministry. Aaron has become his right-hand boy, fetching things for him and doing what Caleb commands, though quite reluctantly.

The really strange thing about hospitalization here was the lack of cost. Everything was free for Caleb, being a British citizen. Therefore there was no admission process, we were just shown to the ward, and no discharge clearance either – we just walked out when we were ready! All very nice. I was fed quite well during my day yesterday too, with beef and rice for lunch, with pudding, and tea and sandwiches during the afternoon. So my impression of the hospital is positive. The nurses have been excellent too, giving Caleb a lot of attention and care.

Tonight is the night of my dad's 70th birthday party. I am so sad to be missing it.