It’s Pneumonia, By Gum

Another Guest Post By Leslie

As I mentioned in my last entry, Robin has been suffering from fevers and chills for over a week. It was very frustrated, because her blood cultures, chest X-rays, and other lab reports all were coming back negative, which had all of her doctors perplexed as to the cause of the infection. So she just kept feeling like crap.

Finally, Sunday morning it was decided to admit her to the hospital. Once there, she was given a second chest X-ray, and what-do-ya-know, but it came back positive this time. Turns out she has pneumonia.

Now you may think this is a bad thing, but we actually think it’s good news: They finally know what the heck has been causing the fever, and can now treat it with the proper antibiotics. Plus, she’s getting 24/7 care by a whole slew of competent (and very friendly) medical professionals. (And, Robin would want me to add—because she’s said it to me several times—I get a break from having to tend to her all the time).

I’ve been continuing to provide most of her food, as Dominican Hospital doesn’t have a wide selection of things she’s able to eat. Moreover, we’ve now finally got it pretty wired what hurts her mouth and what doesn’t. Yesterday, for example, I brought over a strawberry shake made with soy milk, protein powder, ice cream and Nestle’s strawberry Quick; a bottle of watermelon juice; a bottle of papaya juice (both freshly-made); and some egg-drop cream of corn soup. Here’s a photo of her yesterday, strawberry shake in hand:

This morning when I spoke with her, Robin was short of breath, and they now have her on oxygen. She says she’s very frustrated, because there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to do all her necessary tasks: throat (and mucous) management; teeth care (which is important because of the radiation she’s receiving); eating enough (which is difficult for her); not to mention all the normal hospital operations (folks taking her “vitals” and changing her IVs (antibiotics and hydration); taking blood samples; various nurses, doctors and other medical personnel constantly coming by; etc.).

I’ll be going to see her this afternoon to bring more food that she has requested (egg-drop chicken soup and another strawberry protein shake), and some other things she’s asked for. She has her laptop (yes, there’s wifi at the hospital), and lots of DVDs to watch.

So it’s been a crazy time for us this last week, what with Robin’s fever and then hospitalization; dealing with a hyper-active puppy (thank you to Daisy and Julie!, Ziggy’s new best dog-friend and her human mom); and getting ready to move back into our Miramar house (this Wednesday—yay!). But we’ll get through it, and all will start to become normalized soon, very soon.

Robin says that she prefers not to have phone calls or visitors, but emails are great (just don’t expect an answer).

Thank you to everyone for their kind messages and offers of help!