Midnight on the Neurology Floor

Robert came back to consciousness about 8:30 pm tonight so I made the trip back into New Haven to visit with him. Post-surgery, he's a funny combination of being just like himself  and still being mentally out of it. A perfect example is how he answered the nurse's question "What month and what year is it?"  He said it was 2012. When the nurse told him that wasn't right, he said rather stubbornly, "It's almost 2012, isn't it? It's practically the same thing."

I stayed with him a couple hours feeding him Jello and ginger ale because the nurse wanted him to get some food in his stomach. He said he felt pretty good, all things considered, but the incision in his back is definitely causing a lot of pain when he lifts his right arm. "Guess I'll be a lefty for awhile," he said. He made jokes and wanted to hold my hand, so that seems like the real Robert is making his way back from the anesthesia.

I left him as he was starting to doze off at 11:30 pm. He was equipped with an eyeshade, earplugs, a Time magazine in case he can't sleep and a small stuffed buffalo for company.