Anyone who has experienced surgery with me knows there’s always a story to tell. Some are emotional, some unbelievable, while others are bizarre. They are true and crazy-strange!
Below is an experience following operation number 32 about the commode in my hospital room.
After waking up from surgery, I opened my eyes and realized I had been transferred from the recovery room to a hospital room. Feeling groggy and ill, I focused and saw my husband, Don. Since he’s been by my side and experienced every operation with me, we communicate well during uncomfortable circumstances and he knows what to do to make me feel better.
Following the, “How are you feeling?” questions, I asked Don for a cold cloth to wipe my face. When he returned from the bathroom, he said [with amazement in his tone], "Wait until you see the toilet in there! It's this big (holding his arms in a circle with his hands far from connecting). I'm not kidding Annette, it's every bit this big (making his arms into a larger circle)."
Since anesthesia is not my friend, at that point, I heard him but really didn't comprehend what he was saying.
Around 4:00 a.m., the nurse agreed to let me get out of bed to move around. She hooked my cords to portable machines and allowed me to walk to the bathroom. Pushing the pole, I hesitated when I approached the bathroom and saw the oversized door leading into it. The extra wide frame was like entering the doorway of a castle.
Once inside, I saw the throne, which made me stop in my tracks. I said to the nurse, "Wow, that's a big commode.” At which time she informed me, my room had been designed to occupy a person weighing up to one thousand pounds! That’s right, 1,000 pounds!
The toilet was lager than Don's arms could encircle. It was like the seat of a recliner. I'm not kidding, when I sat down, there was lots of wiggle room!
The next morning when Don entered my room, I immediately said [with amazement in my tone], "I saw the toilet!” He responded, “Isn't it huge?" Then he pointed out the hoist on the ceiling. There were tracks over the bed leading in all directions, including into the castle.
Later that morning, Don tried to take a picture of me sitting on the throne, but that didn't happen because my threat was real and he knew I'd follow through!
