Back from Durham (long)

[Guest guest]

I just returned from a week in Durham. I did not have the MGB but was

there as a support system for my granddaughter (JEELLOO@ AOL.COM) who " did

the dance " on Oct 18th.

We stayed at the Hawthorne Suites and can sincerely recommend it with

just two exceptions:

#1: They advertise shuttle service from the airport, BUT there is NO

SHUTTLE running on Saturday or Sundays. The fare from the Raleigh/Durham

airport was about $15.

#2: They are pretty far from the Office/Clinic/Hospital.

Fortunately my daughter has a great sense of direction, so we found

everything okay.

They advertise that all rooms are suites and, honestly they ARE! You walk

into a large LR with TV and dinette w/chairs and a pullout double bed. There

is a full kitchen with even a dishwasher and microwave and full stove and

oven and coffee pot. There's a small refrigerator, too.

There's a separate bedroom with a queen-sized bed and another large TV.

There's also a separate bath. All in all a very nice facility.

We had a Clinic date on Tuesday, Oct 17th and we were all a little nervous;

didn't need to be, of course! The staff was over-worked and over-whelmed but

extremely helpful! The star, naturally, was the good dr! He's not only an

obvious professional, but a real hoot, as well! (who could ask for more?)

What really impressed me the most was the way he took TIME WITH EVERYONE!!!!!

Any of us who have had prior dealings with doctors know that they are all

rushed and in a great big hurry! Dr R never gave the impression of being

hurried and made it a point to talk to everyone. Yes, he was funny, but I

got the impression that was to put us at ease, because we were all nervous.

He explained the entire operation in great detail and even had visual aids!

I wasn't too fond of those - but what the heck!

I have since found out that everybody is afraid that they won't know what to

say to DrR and will " fail " some test. Everyone that I talked too had a

worst-case scenario about getting to Clinic and then doing something stupid

or forgetting something and having DrR say: " Nope! No operation for

you!!!!! " It didn't happen, of course, but everyone was a little afraid of

it!

My granddaughter, my daughter and myself were all very relieved when we left

the Clinic and headed back to the hotel. My granddaughter was relieved

because she didn't screw up and my daughter was relieved because her

insurance kicked in the day they left Fla. And me? I was relieved because

of the confidence that DrR inspired in me. Believe me, friends, I deal with

doctors in my business life all the time and Dr. Rutledge is a real

professional.

We went to the hospital next, to take care of the paperwork and I highly

recommend that since it does take awhile.

The next morning it was " Show Time " and the operation took only 27 minutes.

was a little groggy all day and only had to use the pump (for pain)

about 2 or 3 times. She was back to the hotel by 10 the next morning and

just lounged around that day. She slept fine - the only pain was gas.

My daughter and granddaughter had to leave on Monday following the operation

because of work, but had an uneventful trip. The big problem will be in

getting her to eat enough; she flat out is not hungry!! She loves the

saltines and jello; not too sure about the yogurt. The chicken broth is a

staple. The chipped ice is a blessing! The only problem seems to be getting

on a regular routine with the supplements and vitamins, etc. It's true, all

you do is eat and take meds!!!!

I can't tell you about a weight loss because she won't have her doctors

(regular) appt until next week. They had the staples out on Tuesday and

everything looks good.

In closing let me say that the whole experience was positive and upbeat. Now

's mother wants it (her grandmother, too!).

Phyll4226@...