Following the get-together last Saturday with my family, Christmas was fast upon us two days later. On Christmas Eve, our children always come over for our family time. Since the baby was still recovering from his cold, my daughter brought him to our house before heading in for the Christmas Eve church service. I planned to watch him, cook dinner, and be ready for everyone to come back around 6 or 6:30 for dinner. However, shortly after they left, Lynn started running a fever.
While fevers can be a source of discomfort and can make anyone feel bad, for an MS patient, they can be devastating. Between 4 and 6 p.m., his temperature rose to 103 degrees. Along with the aches and malaise brought on by the fever, his spasticity became so severe he was asking me to stretch out his arms every few minutes. Meanwhile, the baby needed to eat, and I cooked dinner. I fed the baby, but other than that, I just rotated him from play site to play site. Then, he began to get sleepy and wanted attention. I had put potatoes on to cook and was running from kitchen to bedroom every five minutes as I bounced the baby rhythmically, trying to “rock” him to sleep in my arms (it didn’t work).
I called Lynn’s son, Eric, and told him, “Dad had a fever and I needed help; come early,” but it was already six by the time he got the message and could get ready to come. When Eric and his wife walked in, I was so relieved. I handed Erin the baby, told Eric to stay with Lynn (I had finally gotten the temperature to start coming down), and I took off for the kitchen. Fortunately, the other kids were late and didn’t arrive until almost seven. By then, all had settled, and dinner was ready. Whew!!!
Lynn was not able to join us because he felt too bad, but everyone would periodically visit him to keep him company and then let him rest. It was disappointing that he could not join in the festivities, but Christmas Eve was fun and certainly memorable.
The next day, Lynn was very tired from the aftermath of the fever but was able to participate in a late lunch with his family. His sister came over in the morning and fixed the meal, which was delicious. She left us some food for dinner, and after everyone left (and Lynn had a nap), we rounded out the evening with a movie. Later, we had leftovers (made just for him according to his diet), and we went to bed around 2:00 a.m.
At 3:30 a.m., I woke up sick. My stomach was grumbling, and I knew I better rush to the bathroom before I had an accident. As I rushed past Lynn, he said, “I need to pee.” I replied, “Too bad, I’m going to be sick. Hold it!” and rushed to the bathroom, where I proceeded to have both vomiting and diarrhea. Several people in the community had GI bugs, so I was unsure what was happening. I thought it might be food poisoning because the stuffed mushrooms with cream cheese had set out for several hours, and I finished them off for dinner, but what if it was a virus? I didn’t want to expose Lynn. I could not imagine managing him through hours of diarrhea and vomiting, plus something like that could be a major setback for him or even require hospitalization. But he needed to pee, so I needed to figure out how to care for him and reduce his exposure to me.
The entire time I was sick, I had in the back of my mind that he needed to pee. I figured if I could get a Foley inserted, he would be okay for a while till I could get someone to come to take care of him. So after I would vomit, I would have that period of peace between events. I shuffled off, got the Foley insertion supplies, and laid them out. Then, I went back to the bathroom. When all was calm again, I came and put in the foley and then returned to the bathroom. Knowing he had a foley, I figured he should be okay for a few hours. On one of my trips out of the bathroom, I grabbed my cell phone and texted his son, “I’m sick. I need you now! Come take care of Dad.” It was in the middle of the night, so he did not get the message for several hours but came as soon as he could afterward. By then, the worst was over, and I was sleeping the needed recovery sleep. Eric stayed most of the day until I felt strong enough to eat and take over Lynn’s care.
I had wondered what I would do if I got sick like that. Now I know. I keep going and work around the illness. I thought about calling the rescue squad to put in a Foley, but I heard they wouldn’t do that. They would take him to the emergency department and have it put in there. Can you imagine? I’m sick, they load him into an ambulance and take him in to get a foley. He’s then stuck in the emergency department somewhere, totally ticked off and worried about me and I have to figure out where he is and how to get him! That would be a mess, wouldn’t it? But then again, if you can’t pee, it eventually becomes an emergency.
You may recall I have a daughter who is a nurse, and you might be thinking, “Why doesn’t she call her?” Unfortunately, my daughter has a phobia of being around vomiting. This is a true phobia, and she becomes dysfunctional in such a situation. She would be no good. She could handle just about anything else calmly and professionally, but knowing I was vomiting would make her avoid my house as if we had the black plague. Her phobia is beyond her control and something we have dealt with since she was six, so I know better than to try that route unless there is no other option, and even then, I’m not sure she could handle it.
Anyway, I figured out my own solution and managed to care for Lynn while I was sick. I’m sure what I had was food poisoning, not a GI bug because, by the next day, I was fine. So, all ended well. Lynn’s fever did not return. My cold is slowly improving, and tonight is New Year’s Eve. I’ve started taking down my Christmas decorations and hopefully will make a big dent in them tomorrow.
I hope 2013 will be a good year full of family, love, and hope. I know we are not alone if challenges come, as I’m sure they will. Our Lord is with us, and the angels he has given us (a family, friends, and acquaintances who look out for us daily, serving as his hands) will meet any need we may have. We are truly blessed.
May God bless you all throughout this coming year!
From my house to yours, Happy New Year.
Donna
