InstaFriday: A hospital stay for the Captain

 

This week started off a bit slow and lazy for me...

The Captain was feeling under weather. He stayed home from church on Sunday because he didn't feel well. Then he stayed home from small group that night.

About 4 in the morning on Monday he woke me up because he was "freezing".

turns out it was from a fever.

He continued with a bad headache, fever, sever chills and overall achy-ness for all of Monday and Tuesday. Without any relief from his symptoms.

WE ended up in the ER late Tuesday night at the recommendation of our family doc.

 

We go to the ER about 10pm.

It was CRAZY full.

However, due to the nature of Andy's symptoms, the fact that he is a chemo patient... and all the points accrued on our frequent shoppers card, we were rushed right back... to the dirty looks of those who had already been waiting hours.

 

 

They ordered blood work, cultures, swabs and an MRI.

So we waited in the ER room for hours... He received his MRI around 2:30 am. I was trying to keep updates posted to Facebook and Instagram. It was so comforting to see all the comments and prayers that were going up for the Captain. I am always amazed at how God cares for us in the midst of trial.

 I went home around 5:45 am, with nary a wink of sleep,  to relieve my sis-in-law who had stayed with the boys.

 

Andy was being admitted for IV antibiotics and observation... but they were waiting for a room to become available. I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep thanks to my mom. And then I was off to the hospital again.

 

 

When I arrived, Andy's room was dark and he was miserable. He was still feverish, achy, and he said his head was almost unbearable. They had not let him eat and he was hungry. AS I arrived he was receiving something for the pain. However a pain pill on an empty stomach made him super nauseous.

He spent the morning throwing up, trying to sleep and freezing due to chills and fever.

As the day went on I was becoming more worried, he was having no relief from his symptoms.

Finally around 2 we saw his neurosurgeon. He told us, (finally) that Andy's MRI looked fine, that the blood work came back clean and that nothing was jumping out as to what was causing Andy's pain and fevers.

He orders a few more tests and administered some steroids.

The Captain was so tired and really wanted to rest. I was trying to be quiet, but I was in his way... so I came home and crashed. I woke up around 6pm and called him to check in.

 

It was the most amazing transformation... His voice was strong, he sounded upbeat and he said he was eating. He said about an hour after I left he just started to feel better. His sister and mom were up visiting and he had had no fever or pain since around 4:30.

 

Praise God!! Such an answer to prayer! After hearing this amazing news... and trying to post to those ever-important social media sites, I was able to finally unwind and rest. I SLEPT people.

I slept from 9pm to 8am. Straight through, in large part because the boys had their first sleepover at Mimi's and I didn't have to be a mommy for a day or so.

 

 

I showered, made the Captain coffee and trekked over to the hospital.

If Andy said he was feeling better yesterday... he was feeling GREAT on Thursday morning. We still had no answers as to what was the cause, everything kept coming back clean.

The docs took him off his pain meds and antibiotics and wanted to observe him for another 24 hours to make sure the fevers and headache didn't return.

There is still no answer as to what caused the fevers and other symptoms to begin with. There are 3 possibilities: a virus, swelling in the tumor bed due to radiation (you can have side effects from radiation up to 18 months after treatment) or a reaction to his chemo... which he hasn't taken since the beginning of June...

all are possibilities, but none are verifiable...

 

 

I took the boys to visit their daddy last night, they had not seen him for 2 days! Rigg and Ryder were taken very good care of by their Mimi and Mamaw. Even after all the fun and treats they had been given, they were VERY excited to see their daddy. Rigg just sat in a chair smiling from ear to ear, but Ryder could not be calmed... he needed hugs and kisses and lots of love.

Ryder cried for daddy for almost an hour after we left... break your heart...

 

 

So Andy is stuck in a room at the hospital at least until this afternoon. Hopefully his docs will release him and he can come home and spend some time with these 2 sweet boys!

 

 

I just talked to him and he said he is feeling awesome!

It was such a quick onset and an even faster turn around.

 

God is faithful friends!

Thank you, thank you , thank you for all your prayers and love for our family. We are always overwhelmed with the sheer awesomeness of God's love for us that He demonstrates through you!