Tube be, or not tube be ....

Good News .... Bad News.
First the Bad News (and it's not that bad)... you know that tube? The one we've grown to hate? Well, it ain't coming out until (probably) Tuesday. If that's bad news to you, think how Trish feels. The reasons for the delay are: 1. It's just not time. This is the prudent judgement of the surgeon, and is all for the good. Premature removal could be extremely harmful for Trish... it's not one of those things to rush. 2. Today is Friday, and tomorrow is the week-end. Apparently x-rays don't work on week-ends. Or, rather, x-ray technicians don't. 3. Monday is Labor Day! And if they don't work on week-ends, they sure as heck don't work on holidays! .... so.... it's looking like Tuesday.
The toughest thing for T. is that she's been keeping a stiff upper lip and all that, putting up with the irritation... knowing it would be over in a few days. Now that "few days" has been extended. It's like running a marathon and having the officials telling you at mile 26, "Oh, we've decided on a 36 mile marathon today".
She confided in me that upon hearing the news early this morning she had a bit of a break-down... but, by the time I arrived she was already resigned, and she was following the doctor's advice to just sleep as much as she can. Still, we had a few moments of amusement playing the New Yorker magazine "caption-the-cartoon" game. Trish is very good at that.... I suck.
Anyway.... I feel bad, because I've sort of demonized this tube in the past few blogs, and made the removal of it such a big deal. So.... until it's out.... we aren't mentioning the little bugger anymore. We won't dignify it by our acknowledgement. What tube?
And the good news? Trish got a room upgrade! I don't know what they call it in the hospital, but it's the equivalent of the airline bumping you up to first class. Actually, St. John's is fairly egalitarian, and it's kind of a crap shoot whether you get a private room or a double... it's all about "available beds". But, knowing you're going to be in the hospital for longer than you had intended, it's nice to have the private, more luxurious room. So... Trish is now occupying a quiet, corner room, with a better T.V., better view, more privacy, and a couch-bed that Willie can sleep on if she needs someone to spend the night. It's not as good as having your fairy godmother wave her wand and say, "Heal!"... but it does make the tedious hospital days easier to bear. Will said they got the news upon returning from a walk... it was apparantly just good luck, but Will suspects it might have been Dr. Kuchenbecker pulling some strings after having to deliver disappointing news about the delay.
And Trish continues a speedy recovery.... sitting, walking, peeing... and she's now getting a more substantial looking food-stuff (looking at the ingredients I realized it's basically a high-protein vanilla shake) to give her more energy.
And she's still looking fabulous.
More tomorrow.