His Appeal

Chapter Nineteen

“Surgery?” Doug gulped.  He could feel the blood rushing from his head and he swayed slightly.

“Walk with me, gentlemen, and we’ll talk,” Dr. Hollern said.

“You alright?” Thad whispered to Doug.  “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

“Mr. Masters, you signed the consent to treat forms, taking responsibility for Ms. Porter while she was unconscious,” Dr. Hollern said.  “However, that responsibility doesn’t automatically give you rights.”

“Please just tell me she’s okay,” Doug said.  He and Thad followed two steps behind the doctor, who moved quickly through the busy ER triage area.

“Ms. Porter was awake and asking for you,” Dr. Hollern ignored Doug’s plea.  “However, she was distraught and we were unable to discuss her condition with her.  We had to give her a mild sedative, which we don’t like to do on top of anesthesia for obvious reason.”

“So you put her back to sleep?”  Doug shook his head.  “I don’t understand any of this.”

Dr. Hollern stopped and turned to Doug.  “Because she was asking for you, I’m bypassing the release forms.  We want you with her when she wakes again.”

“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong with her, why she had surgery?”

“I will give you the pertinent information regarding her illness and subsequent surgery,” Dr. Hollern said.  “She’s not going to be out long, let’s keep moving while we talk.”  He slowed his steps so that Doug and Thad could keep pace.

“Ms. Porter arrived unconscious.  From the symptoms you provided, we immediately performed an ultrasound to confirm our thoughts of acute appendicitis.”

“Oh shit,” Doug uttered.  “She thought it was just indigestion.”

“From the level of inflammation, I’d estimate she was experiencing symptoms for several days,” Dr. Hollern continued.  “Bloating and pain are usually the first symptoms to present.”

Doug nodded.  “She thought she was getting her period.”

“Because the appendix hadn’t ruptured, we were able to perform the surgery laproscopically.”

“That’s good, right?” Thad asked.

“Very little invasion, minimal scarring, and a much faster recovery time,” Dr. Hollern confirmed.  “The surgery was textbook perfect.  The procedure was completed in just under forty minutes and Ms. Porter was taken to the recovery room.”  Dr. Hollern stopped in front of a set of double doors.  “It’s not uncommon for some patients to be combative when they emerge from anesthesia; however, Ms. Porter’s reaction was that of extreme distress.  After several attempts to calm her, and a wild spike in her blood pressure, we administered a mild sedative.”

“Will she be in pain?” Doug asked.

“With this type of surgery, the pain is greatly decreased and usually lasts less than a day,” Dr. Hollern said.  “She’ll be in the hospital for roughly twenty-fours, barring any complications.  In three to four days she should follow up with her family physician.”