Bethany had a really good night. Thank God! She was able to fall asleep relatively quickly, after the Ambien, and stayed asleep most of the night. She awoke on and off, but was actually able to return to slumber until the morning. Woo Hoo! I, in turn, was also able to get a good night's sleep, for the first time in a very long time.
Bethany was transferred out of ICU late yesterday, into the A wing, and goodness, this is one LOUD wing of the hospital. She was scheduled to go into the C wing, which we are very familiar with, and is a Neuro wing), however, there was only one room and another patient, who needed a lot of monitoring, needed it more. So, we went to the A wing--Neuro and Pallative Care. Hmmmm. That means that everyone talks really loud inside the rooms, outside the rooms, anywhere and everywhere. Doors are loud and the staff doesn't seem to have any concept of the relation of noise to headaches.
We had an awesome pm nurse, Lovie, who was exceptionally careful of the noise level and light and sounds. The am nurse, who happens to be extremely efficient and nice, is very loud. She has awaken Bethany no less than 5x already this morning, for various things, none of which required her to be awakened. Goodness! Anyway, efficiency can go a long way. I've posted a note of the door to "Please be quiet upon entering and keep lights off."
When Dr. Healy came this morning, he said that, although there isn't any definitive way to determine if Bethany is suffering the side effects of the meningitis, he was going to continue to treat her as if she is. He has consulted with the Infectious Disease Doctor, and Bethany will have another IV pic line put in today. This will allow her to be on IV antibiotics for 5-6 weeks at home.
Bethany's goals today are: sit up, stand up, and walk without extreme headaches; eat more than just a couple of nibbles; work with physical therapy. Bethany has already eaten 1/2 of a bagel with cream cheese and about 6 spoonfuls of oatmeal. This is much better than anything she has attempted before. She is currently attempting to sleep, and then we will attempt to sit up in a chair.
Bethany is definitely looking A LOT better than she has been; her face is no longer gaunt, and her eyes no longer have dark circles under them. It's been difficult to get much rest, as this hallway is extremely loud. Because she is in a Pallative Care room in the hospital, it is assumed that the person in the room is near death. Need I say any more?
Update: the nurse just quietly came in, emphasis on 'quietly,' and gave Bethany some medication. Finally, 'quietly!'
Saints, Bethany still needs prayers for the following:
•Complete recovery without any long term side effects;
•That she is able to remain comfortable throughout her stay;
•That she is able to be weened from the Dilatid PCN, without any extreme pain;
•That she is able to continue to keep nutrition down;
•That her spirits aren't diminished any more than they already are.
More prayer requests:
•Nik Shay is still very sick with C-diff. His symptoms have not improved since the beginning of November. Doctors think he may have develooped Crohns Disease. That Nik be totally, supernaturally healed of any and all C-diff and that it has not developed into either collitis or crohns disease;
•My mother is still in Beaumont Hospital, in Detroit, suffering from the effects of a recent diagnosis of a rare form of leukemia. That she is kept comfortable, her pain is relieved, her symptoms are diminished, and that she, too, is supernaturally healed;
Bethany and I can't even begin to thank everyone enough for all of the love and support and PRAYERS you have offered up on her behalf. Blessings to each and every one of you.
Love, Shari and Bethany
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