up early

I'd had only about two hours' sleep when Dad woke me yesterday morning, so I plan on getting a decent night's sleep tonight. I have to be up at 5AM so I can drive over to the hospital by about 7: we want to intercept the neurologists when they're on their morning rounds, and find out what they have to say about Mom's MRI images. There's a chance I won't be able to do this even if I get to the hospital in time to catch the docs: Fairfax Hospital has been very strict, during the flu season, about enforcing its truncated visiting hours.

Meanwhile, Dad will stay home in order to take a call he's expecting from Dr. Boockvar at NYP/WC. The New York hospital fixed a new MRI date-- this coming Monday at 12:30PM-- but we still need to know the date of the actual operation. Dad's going to lobby for having the operation the very same day. Assuming no further problems with Mom, we'll be driving up to New York on Sunday evening, checking into the Helmsley, spending the night, and leisurely taking our most precious patient across the street for her perfusion MRI the following day. What happens after that... we still don't know. Tomorrow morning's phone call from Dr. Boockvar ought to fill in the rest of the picture.

So Mom's alone at the hospital. I hope she's sleeping warmly and peacefully, and I hope the nurses are checking in on her regularly. Mom's at a point in her decline, now, where any little medical event could be disastrous. It may sound melodramatic to say this, but I hope she makes it through the night.


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