No Kidding

So, Michael really is sick. Very sick...not just a cold or a stomach bug. He has viral meningitis and is in the hospital. He didn't feel well yesterday, but we thought at the worst it was a sinus infection or influenza of some variety. Neither of those are fun, but usually require little more than a doctor's office visit and some medication. Neither of us slept well last night because he was in pain and couldn't get comfortable, then started vomiting around 5:00 this morning. I did manage to go back to sleep for a bit after that, but set my alarm for 8:00 so I could call our doctor's office first thing. We weren't able to see our normal doctor, but took a 9:00 appointment with the nurse practitioner. We figured it was better than nothing...she can prescribe medications and if a doctor consult was necessary she would surely grab someone. So, we were there for about an hour and they ran some bloodwork and did a physical examination. At which point she said, "I think I'm going to send you to the ER for a spinal tap." And Michael said, "Oh, no...not meningitis." You see, Michael's had meningitis before about 10 years ago, and it was not a pleasant experience. He ended up spending two weeks in the hospital then. So, back to the car and off to the hospital we went. Bear in mind that neither of us had showered or brushed our teeth. We set the appointment at 8:15 and had to be in the car by 8:45. Michael was in pain and not moving very quickly, so I had to get both of us ready in 30 minutes. Definitely no time for a shower. Plus, I was expecting to be gone for an hour or an hour and a half at the most. Little did I know.

So, we spent about four hours in the ER. For being in the ER it was actually a fairly pleasant experience. Michael had a great doctor and fabulous nursing staff taking care of him. Our friend Patrick came and stayed with us the whole time. They did more bloodwork, a catscan, and a spinal tap. During the spinal tap, Patrick and I went to the cafeteria, where he kindly bought me lunch when I realized that the plastic in my wallet wasn't good enough for them (they only accept cash or checks). I was quite hungry, as it was almost noon and I hadn't eaten since 7:00 last night (wow...that seems like so long ago and it was only last night). The spinal tap came back positive for viral meningitis and then we got to wait for Michael to be admitted. Allison came sometime during the wait for the spinal tap results, and the four of us joked around and had some fun in the ER. The fact that Michael was high on pain meds and wearing a mask only added to the hilarity. He finally got moved into a room around 2:00 and I went home to take a shower around 3:30. By then Michael's mom Donna had arrived and stayed with him while I went home. She got there right after they got him in his room, which was perfect timing. She wanted to come sooner, but the ER room was pretty full already, so I had asked her to wait until he got in a room. Using her mom-sense, she came at just the perfect time. I didn't even have to call to tell her he was in his room. I had been in the lobby of the ER talking to my parents (who are now on their way to Wisconsin to help my grandparents get settled in their new retirement home and pack up their house and get it ready to sell) when they moved Michael up to his room (Patrick was still with him). So, when I got to the elevators, Donna was just getting on, so we were able to ride up together. The nurses on his floor have also been fantastic. I'm slightly less impressed by the doctor on his floor. She kept trying to tell us that hydrocodone and percocet are the same thing (Michael's allergic to percocet) and they are not at all the same. I finally said something and she looked it up, and lo and behold! I was right! .... Anyway. Michael's getting some good drugs, finally (it took the doctor until 6:00 to sign the orders so he could get drugs and food and we were in the room by 2:00...again, not terribly impressed). I just got home a little while ago and felt the need to document this for the world. Despite all the insanity, I did manage to get three more pages done on my paper. I have three or four more to go, so it shouldn't take too much longer. I emailed my professor and explained (briefly) what was going on and asked for a couple more days. She's given me until Thursday (I asked for Wednesday) to get it turned in. My plan is to try to finish it tomorrow, or Sunday at the latest, and to take the extra time for some serious proof reading. Given my current tiredness level, I'm not sure how coherent what I wrote today will be. The basics are there, but it might need some serious editing.