Halfway Home and Then Some!

Nyel’s New Home Away From Home

Day 36 – As of noon-thirty today, Saturday, June 1st, Nyel is in the swing-bed facility at Seaside Providence Hospital –just one hour and seven minutes from Oysterville.  More than halfway home!  Yay!

Actually — the numbers look like this:  St. Vincent’s Hospital in Portland is 78.5 miles (or 1 hour and 28 minutes) from Seaside;  Seaside Hospital is 47 miles exactly from Oysterville (or 1 hour and 7 minutes.)  Those of us who are familiar with the highway and speed zones along the coast understand well the disparity in mileage and time between the two destinations.  But, even though the trip to Seaside takes comparatively longer — who cares!  I can visit him every day and  still be home for dinner.  Or even lunch!

Nyel’s Stuff

Getting out of St. Vincent’s seemed like it should be a piece of cake but wouldn’t you know there was a problem before the ambulance even revved up its engine.  Nyel, on a stretcher, was taken from his room on the 8th floor by the ambulance attendants.  They took the service elevator to the ER area where their vehicle was waiting.  Meanwhile, two aides had all of Nyel’s “stuff” (shoes, knee brace, shaving kit, extra container for his wound vac etc. etc.) all piled on a wheelchair.  They went with me in the regular elevator and got off on Level One, as did I.  “Oh,” said I.  “Aren’t you going to the ER?”  “Oh yes.  We know where to go.”

I headed for the parking garage, settled myself in our car and headed for Highway 26 and Seaside.  About fifteen minutes into the trip, my cell phone rang.”  “Hi!  This is Alicia with the ambulance.  Were Nyel’s belongings supposed to come with us?”  Yikes!!  I told her what I knew and she assured me that they would find his belongings…  Oh my!  As it turned out, they weren’t all that far behind me — maybe five minutes.  Of course, it probably helps to be an ambulance…

Readying Nyel for Transport

Nyel will probably be in Seaside for several weeks — at least until June 17th when he will go back to see his surgeon and  the infectious disease doctor at St. Vincent’s.  Meanwhile, his Seattle cardiologist is monitoring him via the magic of the Epic software charting system as well as by his daily transmission through his cardio mem.  If you are down Seaside way, pop in and say “hello.”  Halfway home, after all, should result in a few familiar faces for Nyel as the days go by!

 

One Response to “Halfway Home and Then Some!”

  1. Pat wollner says:

    If you need a place to stay just call or text or email. I’m only 5 minutes away!!!!

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