tired

Around 6AM or so, we four guys found ourselves cross-eyed with exhaustion while stuck in the ICU waiting room for hours on end. Information about Mom was scarce; the tests that needed to be done required time, so updates were infrequent. Dad signed some consent forms as we sat there, but eventually it became obvious that we were all having trouble staying awake.

I went back to the hotel first, but a few minutes later Dad and my brothers appeared. We all knew we weren't going to be of any use to anybody if we continued to stay up, so we elected to sleep a few hours and wake up around lunchtime, comparatively refreshed.

Dad's been on the phone with various doctors, hospital facilities, and Pastor Jeri. Jeri told us that various members of the congregation want to chip in to help us defray the cost of staying at this guest facility; we appreciate the kindness and thank everyone for the incredible gesture.

I failed to mention, last night, that one of the problems the doctors are trying to rule out is meningitis. I know meningitis can strike incredibly fast, and it's a good candidate as an explanation for what overtook Mom so quickly-- literally within the space of a few hours. Now that I'm more or less awake, I'm curious to know whether the antibiotics have taken hold (one doc said Mom was being given "the next step up" from vancomycin), and I'm hoping the docs have taken swabs to every part of Mom's body to get every culture imaginable.

Mom might have only three months to live, but this doesn't mean we can give up or otherwise stop caring for her. If anything, this is the time to gather ourselves and prepare for that final sprint.


_