Slow and Steady Progress

I believe that mountain is sitting on my head tonight, so I'm going to be pretty short. (That's right, I'm already pretty short.) I'll brief and to the point.

He's off all the blood pressure medicine, but now it's going in the other direction, too high.  They say it's because he's becoming more aware.  His oxygen levels are great today and they are now decreasing the pressure of the ventilator very slowly.   It took about 24 hrs from the time they stopped the sedation for him to start opening his eyes just a bit.  Just a bit.  Like a butterfly wing flutter.  When he got to the point that he fluttered his eyelids when I stroked his forehead and turned his head just a bit towards my voice, they turned the sedative back on very low.  At this point, they are just checking to make sure he can be aroused.  They do NOT want him fully conscious just yet.  Really, who would want to be made fully conscious with all those tubes and wires.  I know it would really freak me out.

The Hantavirus!  Grrrr, gah, blip, bleep.  (Many words that would make some of you blush to hear me utter.) How flipping, bleeping confusing this is getting.  So today, we have a new attending Dr.  They work on a one week rotations.  She seems good, a bit more hands off than the Dr. I liked, but I haven't really spoken much to her to make a clear judgement, just yet.  The residents all said that now it's not Hantavirus because the second test came back negative, so that makes the first test a false positive.  I asked the Dr. yesterday, three times, slowly and precisely, was there a chance of it being a false positive.  He said, no, they are very exact in their testing.  The residents, students, interns, who the hell knows who these laptop people are, and right now, I don't really give a damn. (can you tell how frustrated I am?) stood there and argued with me about the conversation I had with their attending Dr. the day before right in front of them.

The infectious control Dr. came and talked to me shortly after and said that yes, it is Hantavirus, the negative result was for the strain they most commonly see in US around these parts.  They are doing tests for other strains and will get back to me.  They keep asking me if he has traveled to Asia in the past couple weeks.  No, Doc, we lead boring lives, the farthest he's traveled is ten miles across town on the bus to work and back again.  It is not contagious person to person contact.  Puzzling to say the least.

There is no specific treatment for Hantavirus anyway.  With any virus the only treatment  is supportive care, which they have been doing and wait for the virus to leave the body and clean up the mess it leaves behind.  I just wish they would tell me stuff when their definite is actually definite.

What was it, Sunday, when I said my fibro and sciatica was staying at bay? It feels like a year ago.  I knocked on all the wood and  missed a piece somewhere.  Monday, I felt like crap, Tuesday a bit better, Wednesday I was trying to push a mountain, Thursday better.  Today that mountain turned around and sat right on my head and neck.  I've been up there from 9:30am to 7:30pm with pain and fatigue so bad I wishing they would sedate me and put me out of my misery.   I just really wanted to be there when he did start to come to the surface so it wouldn't be as stressful as only hearing a stranger's voice.

I read when I could and sat back in the chair with my eyes closed when I needed a rest.  Luckily, the nurse I really liked on Tuesday is with him tonight, and I feel more confident coming home and leaving him in her capable hands. I passed her coming in on my way to the bathroom, and I said, "Oh I hope you have him tonight."  She said, She would do best to fight to get him assigned to her.

So here I sit updating you all (and him when he's able to read this) having eaten a Marie Callender's Pot Pie. My headache is feeling a little bit better.  Then I'm going to take care of the menagerie I have here, call to check on him, and go to bed very early.  The neighbor's upstairs better not wake me up or I'm calling the manager and he's going to be shocked at the language that can come out of this tiny red head's mouth.  (Sorry, Susie, I really don't have time to cook from scratch, it's that prepared processed crap.  However, I'll have you know Marie Callender is the top of the line and actually tastes almost as good as homemade.  I do have a roast I'm going to put in the crockpot with some veg over the weekend.  Thanks for calling me Super Woman.  I think my cape has tear and I know I saw a run in my tights today.) (I'm being funny, if you can't hear the tone of my typing. *grin*)

In case you're wondering at the change in my writing voice, it might be because I've been reading Hunter S. Thompson for the past two days.  If you are unfamiliar with his work, I highly suggest you go to your local library and read a few pages of whatever novel they happen to have.  You'll understand after that.  He's a pretty wild ride.

Hopefully, I haven't bored you to tears.  Thank you for reading and commenting.  It really helps to get through the day.  Hopefully, you never do, but if you ever need me to return the favor, my bedraggled self will be there if only in spirit helping you to fight through whatever.

Oh by the way, Dammit and Betty were very odd today.  This morning while I sitting here thinking about how little energy I had to chase them back to their cage, Dammit lead Betty out from under futon, into the bedroom and right into the cage. No chasing what so ever.  It was so odd behavior for them,  that after I shut the door, I stuck my hand in the top door to let Dammit pounce me a few times, so I knew I hadn't dreamed it.  I think I should give him an hour of Zeppelin while I get ready for bed as a reward.