DH's Hospital Stay and Our Roses

DH and I had planned to spend several days in Colorado after the Crazy Quilting International retreat last week. He flew in to Denver on Sunday the 14th, but had some slight symptoms of a bug - headache, rash. It had been going on for a few days, but he thought it was just about ready to go away...... However, by Monday morning he was sick enough that we just drove straight home (7 hrs) and headed to a doctor.

This week has been a roller coaster of doctor visits, ER visits, blood tests (27 vials in the last week), cat scans, ultrasounds, spinal taps, etc. First they thought it was the West Nile Virus, but later ruled that out. After all tests have come back normal, they've finally decided it must just be a nasty virus. Poor Bruce has been so sick that he was admitted to the hospital yesterday, where they're keeping him on pain and nausea meds so that he can keep his water and pills down and hopefully eat something. They're keeping him monitored, hydrated and fed, treating the symptoms until it passes. Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time with him, keeping him company and stitching in his hospital room as he dozes. It sure is depressing when a Loved One is sick and there's nothing you can do to make them feel better. I miss him so much; not only his presence, but his healthy self - silly, witty, happy.

But I will say that he's in the best place he could be. The care at Intermountain Medical Center, which opened not quite a year ago, has been excellent. It's a state-of-the-art facility, the largest in the Intermountain West, if not west of the Rockies. The patient charts are all on computer (paperless), so every time anyone (nurse, technician, physician) visits, they type their notes into the terminal located in his room. A dietary technician came to visit him, looked up the menus online for the next couple days, and together they worked out what they would order him that sounded good and fit the doctor's dietary orders. She just keyed it all in. The hospital doctors are all linked on the same computer system, so they were able to access all DH's patient records and test results from his regular doctor at the clinic. AND - there are as many male nurses as there are women nurses. In fact, MOST of the ER nurses were male! With more women becoming doctors, it got me to wondering if in a couple decades it might become the norm to have female doctors and male nurses! Wouldn't our great grandmothers be surprised at THAT!

Enough gabbing........... how about some pictures? I snapped this amazing rose bush in our yard. This is its second bloom of the year. The first time it bloomed deep orangey-peach, fading to a light peach. This second bloom is pink and peach, fading to lighter peach. Take a look.

Must go stitch!