I guess I was lucky going into surgery. My surgeon is part of a group that has a private 10-bed hospital right in the same doctor's building. The staff was so great and answered all my stupid questions, provided comfort....so compassionate. My biggest problem this time (as always) was the IV insertion. I'm what's called a "tough stick" because my veins are small and not very visible. But even that turned out okay, so I had no complaints. I have lots to be thankful for. At the time when I had my surgery all the hospitals here in Kansas City were full to the brim with flu patients. Literally NO beds available in some of them. Since the place where I went only had orthopedic patients from my doctor's group, I felt like the chance of getting an infection was greatly reduced. That eased my mind a LOT!!! Evidently some people are trying to do away with these small specialized hospitals, but now that I've been to one, I'm a fan. It was the best in-patient experience I've had. Here's hoping that IBINLIMPIN is back soon to tell us he's doing fine and on his way to recovery.