Tuesday - Different

My To Do List Today:

Bathe while Andrew sleeps(he woke at 6 am)
Take Andrew to Charla Strain's house
Get to Hospital to take Ann some clothes and things for shower
(yes, you read that correctly)
Pick up Andrew
Mail two things to Sarah in New Orleans
Pick up Ann at Hospital
Pick up Prescription
Update Steve who has Ellie and Luke and driving his mom to airport
Pray for the ten zillionth time that what Ann had was food poisoning or a bacterial infection and NOT a stomach virus.


So you see, this Tuesday looked a bit different than our ordinary days.

Last night, as Charlie and I settled into our respective places in front of the TV, looking forward to Dancing with the Stars, the phone rang.  Ann mumbled...through the receiver...."I'm coming to your house.  I think I might have a stomach virus."  It wasn't because she had to be with her mom during this illness - she just didn't want to contaminate her family and her mother in law.  We've laughed a lot about this later - never mind contaminating Charlie and me.  Feel free, sweetie.  Seriously, I was glad she was returning to her nurturing mother.  seriously...no, really.  :-(

I quickly turned down the bed which I preferred that she "germ up" - preparred two garbage cans with trash liners and refills at bedside - I placed a box of Kleenex nearby, dimmed the lights - and returned to my show.

From our couch we can see whomever is walking up the back porch.  Soon we saw Ann stumbling by with face in trash bag.  Sad.

In she came, miserably making her way up the stairs.  I asked, from the couch, could I do anything - let me know - I said.  So sorry you're sick - I said - and tried to remain aloof as my firstborn struggled through what sounded like the worst misery ever.  I couldn't.  With each separate heaving episode - I would run upstairs and sit with her.  We realized she should have brought Andrew who would be the most likely to catch it.  Ann had hardly been with the others all day as they had been in Chattanooga.  Steve delivered Andrew - and at that point stole some moments with a pro basketball game that he had been trying to watch - we had no idea how bad it would get.

At 11:30 pm Steve and I were taking Ann to the hospital here in Scottsboro - She was admitted and given an iv and Zophran - the miracle drug.  At 1:00 am Steve and I returned each to our homes.  It had stopped looking like a stomach virus and began to look and feel(according to Ann) like something different - maybe food poisoning?

After blood tests today - and last night - it was concluded by her white cell count that indeed there was an infection - bacteria - and we're supposing it wasn't a virus.  Betting on that.

I've never seen anything so violent and aggressive.  So, here we are.  She and Andrew are napping upstairs at my house.  I plan to take them home in a little bit and probably stay out there tonight.  She is insanely weak.

Hopefully she'll give her account - from her perspective - it made for a different sort of day.