I wish your son the best!

Here's to a speedy and uneventful recovery! I had my first ever hospital stay in March for diverticulitis surgery. Even at age 53, it's scary and stressful, and it means a lot to have people praying for you. Good luck and God bless.

Congratulations, and welcome home little DanKroh! Get well and grow strong so that we will see you hiking atop of Mt. Phillips or Baldy some day soon.

My surgery is scheduled for 2 weeks from today.

" I had my first ever hospital stay in March for diverticulitis surgery. Even at age 53, it's scary and stressful,"

Anyone who thinks that a hospital is a quiet and restful place has another think coming.

Back in the mid-80s, I spent a week in the hospital but things seem to have changed. Last year and this year I got to spend a night in the same hospital as 20 years ago and it was anything but quiet. 2 AM, the nurses/aides are out in the hall shouting to each other. Then you have the coming in to check on you every couple of hours. You're sound asleep and they come in and bang the cabinet doors, turn the lights on, and then say, "How are you doing?"

Food? I'm not complaining about the quality, just the quantity. I'm a big guy they gave me a tiny lump of grilled chicken, a scoop of cole slaw, a dinner roll and a tiny cup of canned fruit. Okay, that's an appetizer, where's dinner?

Try to get a snack! Two grahm crackers and 4 oz. of OJ.

Anyway, best of luck and hope that he doesn't need to spend anymore time in the hospital.

Have to agree. My biggest complaint was at 0300, the medical students would come in to poke my belly and ask questions about my bowels. Then at 0430, get poked for blood work. Then at 0500 the Resident would come in for more poking and questions. Just as I would drift off to sleep, the IV would run out and it would take them 30 minutes to come and silence the alarm. Then at 0800 the Surgeon would come in on rounds with all the students following him...more poking. I said, "don't you people ever talk to each other?" Then the nurses would wonder why I wanted to keep my door closed and sleep all day...as to the food...after being on nothing but clear liquids for 3 months, even camp food would have looked good ;-).

Very good news, Dan. From my heart, blessed be.

Dan, I know this is a huge relief for you. I am so glad for your whole family that everything went well. Wish him the best for me. Sleep well, my friend.

Thanks, everyone. We had visits yesterday from his Scoutmaster (it was the first day of school for the SPL, so he couldn't make it), and from the CC of my younger son's pack.

The recovery of kids from this kind of stuff is really amazing. One week after open-heart surgery, he was pretty much back to his old self, a little less stamina, but still. Amazing.

Goldwinger, fortunately, pediatric hospitals are quite different from those that specialize in adults. Son had his choice of food delivered by room service with a phone call. Snacks were available from a room down the hall whenever he wanted, however much he wanted. Part of the difference, I'm sure, is that the kids have a built in aide (the parent) to fetch for them. Similarly, the nurses tend to leave the kids alone at night, since with a parent sleeping bedside, and of course, constant cardiac monitoring by telemetry, the nurses don't need to check on them as often.

Ohio_Scouter, best wishes to you for a successful procedure and a speedy recovery.

Thanks, Dan. They tell me I have a top-notch robotic surgeon, so I'm pretty confident in his abilities and the probability of a good outcome.