In the Hospital

Yesterday was a LONG day... for everyone. Bill was running a fever and was in more pain than usual, so after a few phone calls we knew it was inevitable that he needed to go to the hospital. Off we headed to St. Josephs in Orange. We got there at 5:55 and were in an ER room at 6:20!! I think that is record time! They ran tests and x-rays and decided they needed to admit him. The peritoneal fluid (fluid in his stomach that we drain) is infected, cloudy, and has a high white blood cell count. Around 9:00, they told us that our insurance was fine for ER there, but they had to get approval to admit him. Long story short, since he was in stable condition, they decided to transport him to another hospital - Orange Coast Memorial, which is where he had the draining apparatus put in. So basically, he is getting some really good pain medications and a crazy amount of antibiotics through an IV.

To add to our drama...
We were sitting in our ER room and they had taken blood and urine, but wanted a "sample" of abdominal fluid. He has a fancy litttle attachment that makes it easy for him to drain, but impossible for anyone else. Of course we didn't think to take a draining bag with us... lesson learned. I called Leslie, and she and Mark were able to get to our house, find the drain kit (and some Dums Dums), and deliver it to the hospital. THANK GOODNESS!

I left the hospital after a huge batch of pain meds and Joe and Ann stayed with Bill. Joe rode in the ambulance with Bill. I figured he would get far more enjoyment out of it than I would. (And I think I would have lost the arm wrestle.) Tyler was having a rough time since we initially had to take him to the hospital with us and my mom met us there to do the trade off. Sleep was my main objective when I got home a little after 10, and although it was a struggle, I got some much needed rest.

Bill is clearly not happy about staying in the hospital, especially since he is feeling a little bit better. Honestly though, we have been battling this for nine and a half months and this is his first night in the hospital, which is also probably a record. Most people with this disease end up spending a night or two, here and there for various ailments. All in all, we have been pretty lucky in his stability and pain management. I will try to update as soon as I know more info. Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes!