2 September 2020
It's three in the morning. The Wound VAC was beeping. Without awakening Joyce. I get up, take a look. "Canister Full!" It hasn't even been 24 hours. I turn the pump off.
But I can't sleep. I can't leave the pump off. I might get fired.
FedEx did not bring the canisters I ordered Monday. Alice1 even came over to sign for them when I left the house to take Joyce to the hospital.
At the hospital, Joyce asked for a spare canister. Oh, you don't need one, they told her. When they called me to pick her up, I asked for a spare. The nurse gave us two. For a different machine.
So I am lying in bed without options at 2:30 in the morning.
I get up, go to the bathroom, get some vinyl gloves and go downstairs. In a plastic bag in the black bin we never use, I retrieve the used canisters. I find one that isn't full.
Is this safe? Do I have a choice?
I swap the canisters and turn the pump back on. No beeping.
This pump is a lot quieter than the first one. And the power adapter plug fits snugly into it, too. Around noon the Apria tech (a truck drive by any other name) brought it to the door for a no-contact exchange. As promised (eventually).
Joyce's surgery went very well.
Joyce's surgery went very well. She didn't need anything for the pain but some pills and it was over in 23 minutes. She was conscious, alert and talking to the anesthesiologist throughout the procedure.
Dr. Tong left me a message but called again to talk about it. She can have the dressing changes at home now, Dr. Tong said. She'd already called the home healthcare company.
And, in fact, a new nurse had left a message on the house VOIP phone line to introduce herself. Already.
That means no more Covid-19 testing, if the home nurse can get the ball rolling by next week. And she might even do the second dressing change this week. And three a week instead of two.
Already, Dr. Tong said, she had reduced the number of white sponges from five to three. That's real progress.
"It's going to be a long haul," Dr. Tong repeated. But the wound looks great, already smaller and she did very well.
Alice didn't just wait for our delivery. She brought over a hot dinner2, too.
But as we were heating up the brochettes in the toaster oven and warming the ravioli on the stove, guess what? The phone rang.
These guys are like fundraisers.
It was the physical therapist. He's coming tomorrow. And then she has a preop call for her tentative surgery Thursday, which could be done at home if the home nurse can arrange it.
Anyway, after arranging for physical therapy, we had quite a feast. And Joyce ate most of her portion, too. Including a cookie for dessert.
We even had a little wine to celebrate the occasion.
And if those canisters arrive today as Andre2 promised when I called to trace them, we may have to have another glass of wine to celebrate that, too.
But I'm going back to bed now.