UWMC — Nyel’s Currenet Home-Away from Home

Nyel reminds me, now and then, that it’s not all about me.  Never in relationship to himself, though.  Usually it’s about something totally non-related to our lives and I am obsessing or stressing about imagined impacts on us.  It’s the Worry Syndrome and I come by it honestly.  Even genetically.  My grandmother was a worrier – all of her children said so – but they and my grandfather took it in stride.  Nyel…not so much, in my case, but after thirty-five years, he is adjusting!

The  drive from Oysterville to Seattle yesterday loomed as a huge worry but, in that case, even my calm and ever-competent husband was understanding.  It is never an easy drive these days given the traffic and the I-5 trauma drama that seems a daily occurrence. Within the last few years, for instance, we have been diverted on that trip by a freeway chase and shootout – for which all lanes coming and going were closed for hours and by an oil spill which closed all northbound lanes (us!) and resulted in us being diverted via Puyallup or somewhere equally far afield. Those, were “pleasure trips” so please-god-let-this-be-better was my mantra.

The View From Nyel’s Room

Yesterday, the immediate problem was rain in deluge proportions plus patchy fog in the creek and river bottoms.  Fortunately, even the truckers seemed to be paying attention to the speed limits and (until the dreaded Olympia/Tacoma area) traffic was light.  Then it got dicey.  But there was only one big slow down “COLLISION AHEA RIGHT ANE BLOCKED” and by 1:15 or so (I had left home at 9:15 – not bad!) I was on the alert for my turn off.

Nel – Off to Another ‘Procedure’ or Two

But, guess what!  Google had given me the directions to the wrong UW facility – five miles away, according to the nice young woman at a computer terminal in the first building I entered.  “Oh no!” was my all-about-me response, “Tell me I don’t have to go back on the freeway.”  After a bit of maneuvering, she managed to print me out a map of a route on surface streets (with only half a gazillion turns) and, despite construction detours and finding myself suddenly on “The Ave”) with students in hoodies scurrying here and there and lots of helpful directions given when I rolled down my window and called out… I made it without mishap.

Nyel is in good hands – many procedures and groups of people (doctors, residents, interns, nurses) coming and going to check on his progress and plan for next steps.  I slept on a cot here in his room last night and am feeling like this is where I need to be for the immediate future. Three or four days more while they ‘evaluate’ and then… we’ll see.  He and I both are so grateful for all of our friends “out there” with their concerns and suggestions!  Thank you from the bottoms of both our hearts!