aaarrrggghhh...

Spent the morning with Sam.  He was up and eating breakfast when I arrived and was so happy to see me.  The doctors are rethinking the surgery option.  Sam has one artery on the back of his leg which is occluded.  His family doctor and his vascular surgeon were the ones discussing this, according to the nurse, but no one's telling Sam anything.  Hospitals can be so frustrating.  I know each person is doing the best they can; I know there are so many patients .... but when all you do is lie around waiting to see a doctor that may or may not show up, it's frustrating.  The nurses were very sweet and very kind.  They did as much as they could........

Besides the aggravation, Sam is doing good.  He was in quite the talkative mood today.  I do often wonder how much I should share about what he tells me, which is why I tend to generalize.  He was talking a great deal today about his time in the Army and the years he was at the Pentagon.  I find it all fascinating, and I love hearing his stories.  Being in the hospital though also brought some sad memories.  It was at this same hospital that his best friend died (from cancer) some twenty years ago; Sam then brought up his wife's illness and ultimate death as well.  On a positive note though, thinking of his old friend reminded him of a time when he and the friend were on their way home from hunting and stopped in at a Mexican bar.  It was one of their favorite watering holes back in the day ...  but on this particular day, as they were entering a man ran out of the door and smacked into Sam.  Then there was a gunshot.  At the time, it was quite scary, but looking back on it, Sam now laughs at how scared he and his friend were.  He also notes that he has not been back into a Mexican bar since.  (by Mexican bar, Sam means a bar down in Mexico)  Oh, and then speaking of the bar reminded him to tell me that one of his very first jobs was hauling beer.  He was around twelve or thirteen, and he would drive out to the brewery in a '37 pickup truck.  After the truck was loaded, the men would remark, "There you go little Sammy, get it to town." ... and off he'd go.  He said the men in town had to have their beer.
I love how his bright blue eyes light up when he tells a happy story.....