Well, this is no fun. 84 years old and Outpatient Surgery turns into a stay, hopefully only overnight, which was the case.
 
Arriving at my room, I am greeted by a smiling Stephanie who never missed a beat, no details missed. Sleeping arrangement for my wife, done. Meds I had failed to bring with me, done. Extra chair for my daughter, done. Pain meds needed, done. Vitals taken timely, done. You name it, and it was done in a timely manner. 

She was compassionate, but nicely firm about what I was supposed to and not supposed to do. She visited freely with my wife and daughter. Patiently answered their and my questions in understandable words. Stephanie had a good sense of humor. Good listener. 

While the above points are important, they don’t convey the heart of the matter. When I got in the room, a minute with Stephanie told me things were going to be ok. Her demeanor, the look on her face, her eyes, her questions, her comments, her focus all said you are in great hands here. 

We only get to make a first impression on people once, and she knocked it out of the park.  I immediately felt relieved and better about my situation. That was really important for me at that time.