And the winner is....

Whew-what a long day! For anyone who has had a loved one undergo surgery, you know what it's like to "wait" and waiting is what we did a lot of today.

Starting at 730am, Mike checked in, changed into a "beautiful" gown and was sent to the "holding" area. Yes, we were definitely in a military hospital this time. No fluff, no pampering, just "get it done". Once settled there, the doctor came in and told us that Mike's surgery had been bumped (much to his dismay) until noon. We were heart-broken. Mike was hungry, tired and begging for coffee. The neurosurgeon is outstanding and was very upset that the hospital had rearranged his schedule, but he was going to do his best to get Mike in early. With a 3 hour wait looming on us before they even came to get Mike, my dad and I decided we'd venture off for some breakfast of our own. Mike welcomed the quiet for some much needed sleep. We returned right at 9am, to find the "orderly" there to take Mike back to surgery. Great news for us-no more waiting for the day to get started!

Once again we said our tearful good-byes and parted ways. Now mind you, we have been smack dab in the middle of Beverly Hills for all but these last 2 surgeries and believe me, the thought, "Todo, we aren't in Kansas anymore" comes to mind. We headed to the "waiting room", which was crowded, loud and HOT! After two hours, which felt like seven by now, my dad and I headed to the desk to see if Mike's case had even begun yet. 11:45am: "yes, they just took him back"...Great news, again, no more waiting on the surgery to begin...

We decided to go downstairs and walk around. An hour later, while talking over lunch, we see the neurosurgeon walk by. I shouted to him "Hey, aren't you supposed to be in surgery?" but, he didn't hear me, so we decided to "follow" him. The whole time thinking "Is Mike already done? Did another surgeon "open" for him? Has he NOT even started yet?" Very confused at this point, we lost him, so we headed back to the desk. This guy must have thought I was nuts, but he politely told me that "yes, they were still "in" there!" Okay, back to WAITING!

Oh the waiting...sleeping, eating, talking, eating, watching TV, reading, eating, praying. Yes, there is a definite pattern here-eating. I eat when I'm bored and nothing was filling that empty, worrying void. Yes, praying helps, but your mind does these weird things. I was SO tired of waiting...

Finally, 230pm: "Mrs Moyles?" "Yes". "Let's step out in the hallway..." (gulp-even knowing this is standard) "Mike did great, he's in ICU, awake, semi-alert and almost completely out of anesthesia." WHOA--what a great surprise. The neurosurgeon had decided to wait an hour after surgery to come tell me things were fine due to the high risk of stroke in "head surgery" patients. Mike had not only come through the surgery fine, but was already well on his way to recovery. The "plate" fit perfectly in the forehead and the skin came together beautifully. The crown is a bit higher than it used to be (says the surgeon), but who cares...he's fine! :) He has a pump, to eliminate the fluid buildup. He'll be in ICU overnight and then to a patient room tomorrow and hopefully home on Sunday.

230: We got to lay eyes on him for the first time since morning. What a wonderful sight, bandages and all! Mike was awake (sort of) and talking. As usual, he wanted to be sure that I knew he was okay, so he says..."where am I?" I say "ICU". Mike-"What? They promised me NO ICU" (insert BIG pouty lip). I just laugh and say "oh dear, they didn't tell you that, but you can think that if you want." After giving the nurses some grief over being in ICU and doing EVERYTHING he can to bribe them to get out, he fell asleep!

I saw him one more time before leaving for the evening. Mike was still complaining about being in ICU and desparately trying to get some ice chips. A quick kiss good-bye and a few more reminders from Mike to get him out of ICU and we parted for the evening. Good luck nurses! :)

Oh, and more reason I know we aren't at Cedars Sinai anymore... 830pm: "Hi, this is Mrs. Moyles...how is my husband doing?" "hold on please"...(silence) "Mrs. Jones, he's resting now". "okay, but I'm Mrs. Moyles", "yes, he's resting now, we'll tell him you called-click!" Hmm... sure hope Mike gets the message! :)

We "Thank you" all for the prayers and support! We couldn't have done any of this without God and all of you. I will end with this....

"And the winner is... Mike!" Praise God for being The Great Physician and keeping Mike safe through another trying time.

Good night all and you'll hear from Mike tomorrow!