when-life-happens-all-at-onceFriday, October 28, 2016

I was told the doctor usually doesn’t come in until 11:00 o’clock, so I got there at 9:30. I had just missed him. It appears that she will be in the hospital for two or three more days. When I spoke to the doctor this morning, he said he thought she should go to rehab when she is dismissed. I am very pleased about that, because she is very sick right now, and I think it will take a while for her to regain her strength.

She is getting very good care. She is getting heavy-duty antibiotics through an IV, so hopefully, it will kick in soon. Even so, it’s been a rough day for both of us. My back and legs are not happy. Alex has been picking me up and dropping me off at the entrance so I don’t have to walk to the parking garage, but walking down the corridors is extraordinarily difficult. I went home in the middle of the afternoon for a few hours to rest.

I went back to the hospital around 5:00 o’clock. Jean has pneumonia in both lungs along with some fluid buildup. Her white blood count was 26 yesterday, and it was up to 28 today. The goal is for it be less than 10. Her heart rate is fluctuating, and she is not happy.

They aren’t sure if the pneumonia is stressing her heart, or if she might have some undiagnosed heart failure. I’m still trying to figure out if the doctor she saw on Tuesday is incompetent, or if Jean isn’t telling the truth.

After dinner, Jean’s friend Susan came by and brought some gorgeous yellow roses. Without warning, Jean’s heart rate spiked to 160, and suddenly her room was filled with nurses and aids. They told us they were going to move Jean to the cardiac wing of the hospital so she could be monitored around the clock. Susan and I loaded Jean’s personal belongings into a cart, and we followed the nurse to her new room in the cardiac wing.

Susan offered to stay with Jean, and I gratefully accepted her offer of help. They were both excited about watching game five of the World Series. I called Alex and asked him to come get me. I hated going home and leaving her, but I was in excruciating pain, and I knew she was in good hands.