8/29/24

This morning was long just waiting to leave. I immersed myself in work. That helped. I wasn’t as aware of each agonizing minute tick by…one by one.

Ethan and I made our way to the hospital and it seemed like everyone else on the road was driving like a maniac. Cars were turning out in front of us, cutting us off, tailgating….it was kind of a survival of the fittest situation. There may or may not have been some choice words. For some reason, when I am driving, I feel like I am the best driver on the road. Which I know is ridiculous, but I know I am not the only one who thinks this way.

We arrived and always take the stairs from the parking garage. We had to take the green elevators to the ground floor.

We arrived at 12:30 and Ethan was taken to the back room. He got his IV and fluids to help support his kidney with the contrast they had to give him. He has to have his kidney function tested in a week or so to make sure it didn’t do any damage. This seems like an act first, ask for forgiveness later situation.

Ethan does his left side, right side and biopsy all without anesthesia. This is a foriegn concept to the adult team. They kept saying they were going to give him medicine. He kept correcting them to say he was not. I was proud of how he advocated for himself.

The fellow that was leading Ethan’s case kept saying things like “if you need sedation” and we knew Ethan would not.

The man finally asked Ethan “why?”

“Because I have to drive tomorrow to go to work. Plus I don’t want to sit here for 4 hours recovering.” Does he ever sound like his mother. I chose to get a colonoscopy without sedation once because I had grocery shopping to do afterward. He and I are stubborn and bullheaded people!

As we were waiting for Ethan to be taken to the cath lab, we listened to a lady giving instructions to someone on the phone, coming in tomorrow for an angiogram. She spoke to this person with so much respect, politeness, she spoke slowly. She was great!

She also told the person that they should leave their valuables at home. I imagine they were either extremely elderly or mentally dull. She then said in a serious tone “No! I am going to ask you to leave your coin collection at home.”

There was more talk about the coin collection. “Sir, if you feel like you need to bring your coin collection, I advise you to leave it with your driver for safety.” All in a serious authoritative tone.

Soooo….that was the first emotional support coin collection that I have ever heard of.  I then tried to think of something I need emotional support from that could be off the wall. I want to have it ready in my back pocket so I can just rattle it off in the right situation.

As I thought about it, I began chuckling at all the possibilities. A coin collection is small and fairly light weight maybe? So toting it around wouldn’t be that big of a deal. What it the emotional support object was large…like an emotional support air compressor.

I do like the idea of an emotional support collection. A stamp collection, rock collection….that could be heavy…what about something wonky, like an emotional support turkey baster.

I remember a few years ago Avery came up with an entrepreneurial idea of having an emotional support stuffed animal store. She came up with Emotion Promotions to offer discounts. She thought that weighted and scented emotional support stuffed animals would be a hit.

It was a fun thought anyway. I have visions of this man with his coin collection parading in for his angiogram. 

After the procedure, Ethan had to wear a pressure bandage. They feed one line through his artery in his wrist and the other through his jugular vein. The pressure bandage was on his wrist. It looked like a small balloon wrapped around his wrist. It was inflated and tight. He had to have his pressure bandage on for the first hour. They slowly let air out of it the second hour in 15 minute increments, to ensure no bleeding. 

The bright side of the whole day was that Ethan had a mid day appointment. He was in and out in 5 hours. That is less than our drive home from NYC.