My favorite tweet from today:
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Googling the Web’s biggest regrets: http: //tinyurl.com/63xg3m about 1 hour ago |
What do you know? A heart-warming story made the news…
“Their names immortalized (Boston Globe) Ironworkers spray paint names of young cancer patients onto the beams of the Yawkey Center going up at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.”
It’s official: I have a full-blown cold. Hanging in as long as possible, at about 1:30 I sent word to the Mostly Social Book Club that I wasn’t going to be able to make it tonight. No sense spreading this cold around.
I went into my office for a while, where I was actually quite productive. I cleaned up the minutes from Thursday’s staff meeting and sent them off to my manager’s manager. After that, I wrote that article about the FOSS Fair that I tried to get to all week. Before leaving, I sent it to the person I interviewed, copying my manager, my officemate, and a colleague (who owns one of the venues we might publish the interview in).
My sister copied me on this email to her staff. It’s an update on my dad:
| Subject: Missing work on Monday, possibly Tuesday and Wednesday
Hello Friends: I received a phone call from my mother on Saturday morning saying that she had taken my dad to the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune with internal bleeding. Camp Lejeune performed an endoscopy and found he had a bleeding ulcer, a very badly bleeding ulcer, and they could not get it to stop without surgery on his intestine, which they did not feel equipped to do. They medi-vaced him (helicopter transport — which is another whole story since he was in Korea and Vietnam…) to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. I packed a bag, drove to Jacksonville to get my mother and then we drove to Wilmington late Saturday evening to find him in ICU. When he arrived, the NHRMC doctor performed another endoscopy and was able to see the ulcer, cauterize it, clamp it, treat it with some topical medicine, and stop the bleeding – thus requiring no surgery. Thank goodness he insisted on doing his own endoscopy. He had just finished the procedure when we arrived and show us the pictures of the area, etc. The ulcer is in his duodenum, the base of the stomach and top of the small intestine, not inside the intestine as the Naval Hospital suspected. The clamps the doctor used (they look like small metal clothes pins) remain in place, dissolve and pass normally through the system, so it was minimally invasive, no cutting. Good news since he lost so much blood he was in a very weakened state in terms of his kidneys and heart. So far there has been no bleeding internally for about 24 hours and they removed the tube that was draining the blood out of his stomach since it was clear. This and some clear liquids made him much happier. His blood pressure is good and his blood counts are stable, indicating no more blood loss. He looks much better than the last time he was in the ICU over Thanksgiving and he has not, so far, gotten the ICU psychosis he had last time. Though he does want my mother to spend the night with him in that room every night! They are too funny, kissing every time she gets there and holding hands while they watch TV and or sleep! What a pair they are after 55 years! So, he is very stable and tonight they are talking about moving him to a regular room tomorrow, Monday, and a possible discharge mid-week. I will probably stay until that happens, as my mother is here with no car and she will most likely need me to help get him home. I will keep you posted. Prayers and spiritual thoughts for both mom and dad are welcomed! See you all soon — I hope! |
Robert checked in with an instant message conversation after his visit out to his family’s today. It was a heart-warming visit, during which he, his sister, his nephew and his girlfriend put a puzzle together with his mom. She has cancer and it’s getting to the point where every little thing is cherished. And I cherish his sharing “the little things” with me.
Afterwards, his sister, her husband, his nephew, his girlfriend, and Robert all went out for dinner to celebrate his sister and husband’s 4th wedding anniversary.
He was sweet to ask about my dad in spite of everything he’s dealing with. I love you, Robert.
I think I should work from home tomorrow to keep from spreading this cold. Fortunately, a meeting I needed to go in for tomorrow has been canceled. Unfortunately, it’s because the person who was going to be interviewed—for an open director position—in that meeting, has come down with the flu.
I’m quite sure I don’t have the flu. I did get a flu shot this year for what it’s worth. I don’t have aches and pains. It’s all congestion, and all in my nose.
Right before calling it a night, I got this email from Donna (my ex-wife), as I had copied her on my sister’s email when I forwarded it to Robert and Joe:
| Thank you for letting me know …. I spoke with your mom on Friday afternoon and she told me that your dad had gone into the hospital. I still think of them as my (very special) in-laws and I worry about them as I do my own aging parents. My thoughts and prayers are with them and with you.
Love, Donna |