Dear Abby: Wife wants solitude during husband’s routine surgery

Dear Abby: My husband slipped, fell and broke his hip. As I write this, he is having a total hip replacement. Family and friends have offered to “come and sit with me.” I have been polite (when I really wanted to scream) and told them “No, thank you.” Then they rephrase it and tell me they are coming. When I say “No,” they forget that “No” is a complete sentence.

My husband wasn’t in a car accident. It’s not life-threatening. It’s not a crisis situation. He simply fell and broke his hip. These days, hip replacements are routine procedures. I don’t need a chaperone to sit with me. I know that everyone is different. I just wish people would ask if I wanted them to sit with me instead of TELLING me they’re going to come.