Surgery!

We were all up early this morning. After dropping the kids off at school, we arrived at the clinic a punto at 8:15am. We were shown to Josh's private room. This whole private clinic thing is a world apart from what we are used to at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial. The room has marble floors, a flat screen TV, and a terrace! What a concept! -- actually getting fresh air in your very own hospital room. The terrace is not only a great idea for those patients who are recuperating, but also for their guests, allowing everyone to get a little sunshine and fresh air. I've always thought the worst thing about being in a hospital is the stale air. Oh, and, did I mention the views over the rooftops of Rome?

Then, there are the bed linens, which I swear are just this side of Egyptian cotton. The pillows aren't foam bricks, but soft instead. The private, tiled, bathroom comes with terry-cloth slippers and bath products from Clinca Sanatrix. It really is like a nice hotel room.

The nurse took Josh's lunch order, and then we met with the anesthesiologist. He assured us that all of the anesthesia used here is identical to what is used in the States. The nurse shaved Josh's leg. Then the #2 doctor, Dr. Inganina, who would be assisting Dr. Ticca came in to go over Josh's history. Would a doctor be doing this in the States? I don't think so. He then took my cell phone number so he could call me after the procedure.

Then, Josh changed out of his clothes and off he went ... 9:40am, right on schedule. Dr. Ticca spoke to him downstairs outside of the operating room before the anesthesiologist gave Josh a sedative. I left the clinic and went to work out at AquAniene, and await the call from doc. I got the call around 11:15am that everything went well, and that Josh would be back in his room in 20 minutes. In a short while, Josh and I spoke and agreed that he needed to sleep off the anesthesia for a couple of hours.

When I returned to Clinica Sanatrix around 1pm, Josh looked the same as when I left him this morning -- except for the IV in his arm. On his bedside table, was his souvenir -- the hardware that came out of his leg including the rod, and five of the seven screws. The other two screws were sent to be cultured. Josh was hungry for lunch, but the nurse insisted that he couldn't eat until 3pm due to the anesthesia. When lunch did arrive, it was literally served on a silver platter. First, the table was set with linens, porcelain, and hotel silver, as well as a trivet (with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper), and a dish of freshly grated parmesan cheese -- all standard operating procedure in Italy. Not bad. The lunch itself was also served out of a silver serving dish: pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs, some potatoes on the side, along with bread and an apple (on a plate). I was impressed.

The Casa di Cura Clinica Sanatrix is not only private, it is a rather small facility. There are only four floors, and it looked like there were only six rooms to a floor. The rest of the building is made up of the operating rooms, doctor's offices, and administrative offices. Did I mention that all the nurse's station's had the super-sized IMacs?

I left to pick the kids up from school, take Charlotte to swimming, etc. Then, I returned at aroun 7pm to bring Josh home. He had met with the physical therapist, had his x-ray taken, and the doctor came by to re-wrap his dressing and give him his medication. All in all, everything considered, it was a very pleasant experience.