Orval spent seven weeks in the hospital. He is admitted by a urologist named Dr. Dennis Stanczyk for surgery called Transurethral Resection of the Prostate. Referred to as TURP, this surgery is to remove parts of his enlarged prostate gland through the penis. It is after he is admitted to St. Elizabeth Hospital that other more serious complications are discovered. Orval has lost the function of one kidney and has only 10% functioning of his other kidney. This is due to hardening of his arteries. He also has a blocked main artery in his stomach. Problems with Virginia (Hubschmidt) Koehler begin almost immediately. When Jerry and Gwen arrive to visit their father, they find that Virginia is in a very bad mood with her anger directed at Orval. When Dr. Climaco comes in to talk with Orval, she tells him that she believes that Orval had suffered a stroke and that he needed a psychiatrist for his depression. In the hall after the doctor leaves Jerry confronts Virginia about saying those things in front of Orval. Her answer is that Orval is so out of it that he doesn’t understand what’s being said. In the eyes of Gwen and Jerry, this is not the case. As for the depression, Jerry wonders if it could be the many drugs he is taking.
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Only a couple of times during the first few weeks does he talk of seeing bugs on the wall or ceiling of the room when there are no bugs there. “Don’t you see them crawling over there?” When he is told that there are no bugs he seems
Only a couple of times during the first few weeks does he talk of seeing bugs on the wall or ceiling of the room when there are no bugs there. “Don’t you see them crawling over there?” When he is told that there are no bugs he seems