Simple Surgery Gone Bad

 Guys I'm so upset I just want to throw up. 

I took my friend this morning for her outpatient surgery on her shoulder in Fremont, which is like 1 1/2 hours away without traffic. We left at 5:15 this morning and got there around 6:30.  She went in at 7 and then I went to go find something to eat for breakfast. I got a call just a bit later to get the equipment she'd need for afterwards (ice therapy thing). I got all that loaded in the car and then just hung close by for when she was done.  Around 9 she sent me a message that they had just got the IV in so it would probably be around noon before she was ready to go home. Ok fine I had been venturing out a bit in the area and stuff was finally opening. I hit a few thrift stores and then called around noon to find out how much longer. They said she had just got out of surgery and was in recovery and it would be an hour or two before she was ready to go home. Ok cool I have a time so I can venture out a bit farther puttering around.

About an hour later I got a call from the doctor and he says she was having some breathing issues, maybe related to her asthma. They had to intubate her and were sending her in an ambulance to the hospital so they could take the tube out there and watch her. They said call the hospital in an hour to see if she'd be able to go home or if they were going to keep her over night. Then a little bit later they called and said they forgot to send her personal items with her so I should come pick those up. 

So I go pick up her stuff and by that time it's an hour later so I call the hospital. I finally get to a nurse and she's like oh no she's not going home tonight it might be a couple days. I'm like oh well I have her stuff can I get it to her. For sure she'd want her phone in the hospital. She says I can take it to ER entrance and ask for her and someone will come get her so she can come out and get it. I go there and she never comes out and some guy is checking in at the door that he has Covid sympthoms. Great, standing 6' now 7 away from him. A nurse had come out with a patient to load in a car and on her way back in I asked if she knew the nurse and could take the bag to her and she said yes and did. I hope the bag actually made it to her since it had her phone and wallet. Hind sight, probably should have just held on to them.

So then I'm thinking fuck I've got to tell her mom and her kids and I have none of their numbers. her mom just lives down the street from me (she lives with her mom) so of course I can go over to the house but it's going to take me 2 hours to get home. I went through her FB friends and sent all 3 of her girls friend requests. One of them accepted after about 1/2 an hour so I messaged her to call me ASAP. She did so I could tell her what was going on. She gave it over to the oldest who then took over. The oldest lives in San Diego like 8 hours away and the other 2 live in Oregon. 

Got home and went straight over to her mom's who was coming out with her purse and keys. I was like you might as well just stay here they are not going to let you in the hospital. Poor thing. I left the giant ice unit thing there with her too.

The oldest girl said that they said she had flash pulmonary edema. Which is where her lungs filled with liquid. So they had to put a tube down her throat so she can breathe. All her vitals were high and they put her on medication to drain the fluid but she has to stay sedated or she won['t be able to breathe. They transferred her to the ICU.

Then later they were trying to get up;dates and they wanted them to give some code to prove they were family. Uh no one was handing out any codes sheesh. I guess they finally got the code. I just got an update that she  still has the tube in, and is on medicine to make the liquid in her lungs go away. But she is stable,  and they will get another update in the morning. 

So now just wait for the next update.