To the Hospital Again!

Being at home the past two days has been wonderful! Mark felt better than he had in months! He was still weak, but he worked on his computer: going through emails, making reservations for our Europe trip in June, and catching up on other projects. Last night, as I was preparing dinner, Mark came into the kitchen, cut up a pineapple, and sliced cheese for sandwiches. He hadn’t been able to do anything like that for a long time. It felt almost normal. He couldn’t stay up for long, but it was progression.

Around 9 pm, he hit the wall, so I got him into bed and then chills started. Four or five fuzzy blankets, hot from the dryer did little to help. Around 1:30 am, he seemed confused and was moaning. When I took his temperature, it registered 103. I didn’t know if that was correct, but had been told that it didn’t matter what it was; if he was running a fever, I needed to bring him in.

I put the foam pad in the back of the car, but when he complained that he couldn’t breathe, I called 911. When they arrived, they knew he needed to go, but Providence Portland was “red” so they couldn’t take him there. They were getting ready to help him to the car, when Mark managed to mumble that he wanted them to take him, so off to St. Vincent they went.  I was relieved, even though it was not our first hospital preference. 

Again, I knew he would be admitted, so I packed and napped, and came in this morning.

At the hospital, his fever initially registered 103, as well. When I arrived a hot air blanket covered him, which eventually helped stop the shaking chills. In all the times he had been sick, I’d never seen him quite so miserable. His vitals were not normal, but neither were they at dangerous levels. 

CT Scans and X-ray didn’t show any pneumonia. His bilirubin was fairly low, not normal, but not high. Labs showed some stress to his kidneys and liver enzymes were higher, but not alarming.  He got some oxygen and had Tylenol for fever and Fentanyl for pain and to help him sleep. He finally calmed down and slept in short intervals. 

Dr. Taylor called and was happy we brought him here. There were absolutely no beds at Providence Main. There evidently aren’t many here either, as we’re still in the ED. (Around 4 pm he was taken to a room.)

It’s hard to get hopes up and have them dashed, nevertheless, we believe he will pull through again. Your support means so very much to us! Our hearts go out to those going through tough trials, and some we know who have recently lost loved ones!