I'd love to tell you that the doctors got Glenn's diabetes under control and he is home recuperating but...
Things went from bad to worse.
Glenn has a strange pain under his ribs on his left side. No one really seemed to know what the problem was and when I asked Glenn via text he replied, "Colitis."
I googled it and got a basic understanding and as long as it's caught and treated early it's not the end of the world.
Then the pain went away.
That was on Friday, January 14.
Saturday Glenn's platelets started to drop.
When I asked the nurse about the colitis she informed me that he never had colitis.
Um...what?
As a covid positive patient the staff has to wear double masks, face shields, gowns and gloves when the go into his room. Understandable precautions of course, however...Glenn doesn't hear very well.
One of his doctors is a woman with a very high pitched voice which is already difficult for someone who has hearing loss, nevermind through two masks and a face shield. I have no idea where he got the colitis from, and neither does he, but the good news is that he doesn't have it.
Monday and Tuesday he continued to improve was taken off oxygen, his platelets were beginning to climb and was scheduled to be discharged on Wednesday, January 19.
Then his spleen exploded.
No, it really did.
Explains the platelet issue.
Because he had been scheduled for discharge I had turned off the ringer on my phone so I wasn't woken up every time an email came in, like I had been every night for a week. I was exhausted, thought that things were better and that turning off the ringer for one night would be ok.
Huge mistake.
They had been trying to call me since 3:30 in the morning but I didn't wake up from the vibration of the phone ringing until 5:30.
Terrible way to wake up by the way.
His spleen had ruptured and he was bleeding internally. His spleen needed to be removed...immediately.
There was no way I could get there before they took him to the operating room so the doctor called me from his personal cell phone so that I could tell him I loved him before they took him to the OR.
Although he was still testing positive for Covid, now that he was in ICU, they allowed me to visit. I had to show proof of a negative covid test and wear wear a mask, a gown and gloves.
They could have told me that I had to wear an iguana suit and I would have done it. I hadn't seen Glenn in a week. I'd have done anything to be with him.
After his surgery I arrived at the ICU, donned the PPE and entered the room.
I had to keep myself from going into a full blown panic attack.
Hubby had tubes and wires everywhere! He was fully sedated, on a ventilator, had a gastic bypass tube coming from his nose, a catheter, four IVs, a pulse oximeter on his finger, pressure things on his legs, heart monitors all over his chest and restraints on his wrists to keep him from trying to pull out the ventilator tube if he woke up.
It was tough to see him like that...really tough.
But, I got to sit with him and hold his hand.
The next day they took out the ventilator tube and he could talk.
The following day they moved him out of ICU into a regular room and declared him Covid resolved so the gown/glove restriction was removed and I could visit whenever I wanted!
It was such a relief to see him improving.
He tried to apologize and I jumped on him verbally.
This is not something that he caused and no apology is needed.
It's not like he was screwing around with a chainsaw and cut off his foot. This was a virus that reacts differently in everyone it hits. There is no way to predict who will have a tough time with it.
He has enough to deal with without the cloak of guilt!
Through all of this I have done my best to keep friends, family and loved ones up to date on his status, while running businesses and being mom and domestic engineer, chauffeur, chef and laundress, etc.
Most of it communication has been pretty easy. Once I sent one text I copy and paste the rest. I do call his family and my mom though.
Fortunately, the boys' schedule has long been established and Glenn normally travels a lot for work so I'm already used to being the chief cook and bottle washer.
What I'm not used to is the stress.
Three times now, the day he was supposed to be discharged, there has been a complication. I'm at the point now that I don't want to know if they think he'll be discharged. Just call me when he's ready and I'll go get him.
The rollercoaster ride is horrifying.
Right now I'd pay someone to shoot the ride operator...sadistic prick.
I spend most days on pins and needles waiting for updates from doctors, nurses or Glenn.
Glenn's updates are usually one or two words that end up generating more questions than peace of mind. He's never been a really wordy guy but the lack of details only adds to the stress.
I do my best to stay strong and not alarm the kids. Within reason, they know everything that is going on. I don't tell them things right away. I let things sit for a while and make sure I am calm before I tell them so they don't panic.
The strategy seems to be working. I think they appreciate not being kept in the dark and I haven't incited any drama. Kids really are resilient and understand much more than we give them credit for.
David has competed in two away gymnastics meets since his dad got sick. We have been to Atlantic City, NJ and State College, PA. He has added huge number of medals to his collection. He won almost every event in Atlantic City and placed first in the All Around. In State College he had a rough time in a couple of the events but still finished 4th overall.
After one of his worst floor routines ever, he came back and scored a 9.9 on pommel!
I am impressed with both his physical and mental strength. He seems to be able to put the stressful stuff aside and focus on the task at hand. A phenomenal trait at such a young age.
Daniel has continued with his karate and Jiu jitsu. He loves it and is working on his brown belt! We are adding another day for lessons for him.
Daniel is our "roll with it" kid. Very few things rattle him. He has a very laid-back, loving demeanor and would rather snuggle up and watch a movie than anything. Until he's grappling in jiu jitsu. He's fiercely competitive. It's not a side we see often so it's facinating to watch!
Both boys chose to play string instruments this year. David is playing the violin and Daniel is playing the cello. They practice a few minutes every day and are doing really, really well.
expect to be able to actually hear music!
Their teacher is both a miracle worker and a saint!
I was also able to send Glenn videos of David's meets. The reception in the gyms sucks but I could run outside between events and get enough bars to get the videos to send. It wasn't the same as having him there but at least he could see how David did in real time.
Glenn is still not home.
Again, he was supposed to be discharged but they ultrasounded his legs and found clots.
Glenn's text consisted of, "Not good. Clots."
It was three hours before I could speak with his nurse.
Can you say, "Stress"?
He is on a Heparin drip now and will be monitored very closely as the blood thinners dissolve the clots.
Thank God they checked him prior to discharging him!
As always, I'm desperately trying to stay positive and find things that we can laugh about.
One of the best so far came from one of the boys' friends and classmate who was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic in first grade.
She came to Daniel in class to give him some tips to pass along to his dad, "If he gets hungry," she said, "Tell him that he can chew on ice chips or eat meat, even bacon. He can have as much bacon as he wants because there are no carbs."
Bacon it is!
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