Spoke Too Soon

Turns out the snow day on Friday was the last happy news I would get in quite awhile.  The vague upper abdominal pain that the exchange student (known hereafter as "ES") had been having got more intense.  Her doctor sent us to get some blood work and once he reviewed the results, he put her back into the hospital.

I was there with her until after 10pm Friday night.  Drove the 40 minutes home, collapsed into bed, and then was awoken at 3:30 am by a phone call from ES's nurse to let me know that she was now vomiting blood.  ES was understandably freaked, so I got dressed and headed back to the hospital.  When her doctor came in around 8:30, he was not happy with her blood pressure and decided to go down her throat with a scope to see where the bleeding was coming from.  This requires general anesthesia and a surgery consent, so we had to call her poor terrified Mom in Italy and get verbal consent over the phone.

The procedure was quick and uneventful, and the doctor found that she had the worst gastritis he had ever seen.  (Picture the normally pink and smooth lining of your stomach red, raw and bleeding.)  We aren't sure why she got it, it may have been a combo of some meds she was taking.  They put her in the ICU and gave her morphine for pain and also some blood.

I left the hospital about 3:30 pm, went home and showered, and then made spinach and artichoke dip for the first time ever.  (Thank heavens for the Food Network website!)  Then we left for oldest daughters basketball game, where they were honoring all the senior players.  Daughter got to start the game and played really well, so that was a thrill.  Then we had an after-game party for the team to attend (hence the dip).  Home about eleven, went into a coma, slept until 11 am Sunday.

Basketball game for younger daughter at 2:00, then a frantic rush to the grocery store for our weekly provisions.  4:20,  I'm at the airport to pick up ES's mom AND dad.  (Of note, Mom and Dad are divorced and Mom has remarried.  Um, awkward!)  Drove parents to hospital, where the nurses had blessedly moved ES into a double room so that both parents could stay with her.  Got them settled and made it home for three-quarters of the Super Bowl.  Then I remembered that it was Feb 3rd and I hadn't paid the first-of-the-month bills yet.  (Can't imagine how I got distracted)  Another hour of paperwork before I can get to bed.

Up at 6:15 the next morning to get the kids off to school and discover that hubby has high fever, shaking chills, and cough from hell.  Call his office manager to let her know he can't come to work, stuff him full of Motrin and take off for hospital rounds.  (Oooops, forgot to mention, it isn't my week to make rounds, but my office manager called me mid-Super Bowl to tell me one of my partners is in the hospital and I have to step in.)  Rush from hospital to my previously scheduled OB/GYN appointment, and find that my blood pressure is 160/100.  (Non-medical readers: this is really high and not good.)

My OB/GYN is highly displeased with me and says if my blood pressure can't be addressed PDQ, he will have to take me off birth control pills.  (Oh yeah, that's what I need now, an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 38!)  So I call my primary care doctor who calls in a blood pressure pill right away and says he has to see me in the office on Friday.

Now, it's Wednesday.  The Tamiflu I started hubby on Monday night has worked wonders and he is back to work.  I took younger daughter to school this morning after a dentist appointment to replace a filling, and older daughter is home from school sick with some variant of the viral sore throat that knocked her sister down last week.  ES is still in the hospital, parents at bedside.  She is still requiring pain medicine and cannot tolerate any food, so they have placed a permanent IV line to give her intravenous nutrition.  There was wild talk about her leaving the hospital with a little pump to continue the TPN at home until her gut heals, but she has been running fevers for the past 2 days, so discharge is on-hold for now.  Her Dad has to fly back to Italy on Sunday, but her mom has decided to stay and take care of her until she is over all of this.

The crazy thing is that ES is still bound and determined to stay here and finish the school year.  I think this is denial of the highest order, but I guess when you have fought serious illness for as many years as she has, denial becomes one of the tools you need to get from day to day.  I have not had the opportunity to speak to her parents alone about this, but I have no intention of letting her mom leave her behind this time.  She is a sick little cookie and she needs to be with her own family and see her own doctors.  I am hoping her Mom will see eye to eye with me, but I am prepared to be robo-bitch if I have to - this is just way more crazy than we signed on for.

Oh, so anyway, the socks are done.



This is not a great picture, but bear in mind that I finished these in the Meijer parking lot last night while younger daughter ran in for gift bags and tissue paper.  They were delivered to the birthday girl in the hospital soon after.

I like this crazy little stripe plan I cooked up and I bet I'll make another pair of these.  Maybe I'll frog this sock and use the yarn - that would be pretty, right?

Meanwhile, I was caught at a basketball game last night without anything to knit, so I noodled around and ended up with a narrow lacy band out of the very last bits of my rainbow yarn.



Depending on how long the yarn holds out, this will either be a little scarf or a hairband.  Next up is socks for me out of my yummy green and blue homespun that is still hanging from the basement rafters.

It is 3 days until the Insanknitty knitting retreat in Grand Rapids and I have never been so in need of a mental health break.   Hubby will have to keep this boat afloat without me for 24 hours, because I have resolved that NOTHING will stop me from going.  And I might leave my cellphone at home and take my spinning wheel instead!

Comments

[Karen in Toledo]

Whoa! Now might be a good time for you to start drinking! I'm willing to teach you. And if you don't go to that retreat, I'll kick your ass!

[Lynn]

Wow.
Just wow.

They never tell us when we are 7 year old girls the crap that is in store for us when we become Mothers!

[Kim]

Not sure what to say except, hang in there. Glad for you to get your much needed break and robo-bitch is certainly called for.

Your rainbow bits are beautiful!

[Kim]

Not sure what to say except, hang in there. Glad for you to get your much needed break and robo-bitch is certainly called for.

Your rainbow bits are beautiful!

[Kate]

I have to say, I was a bit surprised her mother went home without her last time. If I'd been in her shoes, I would have gone robo-bitch myself to get the kid on the plane.
Enjoy your retreat; you definitely need some down-time, chick.

[KTMay]

Oh Becky...as we have said all week....UGH. You are going to that retreat if I personally have to drag your robo-bitchin bum there myself! I'll even fetch your tea for you!

[Amanda]

Holy cow! What stress! No wonder your blood pressure is high. No offense to ES but it's time to go back to Italy.