Day 18

Hmmmm…how did I end up here?  Sure seems like that might be what he’s thinking huh?  I guess when Josiah threw himself on the concrete in the parking lot the other day, he wasn’t being defiant.  He was just weak.  Too weak to walk.

He ran a fever for a short while later that afternoon and has really had no other symptoms of illness, other than no desire to eat or drink.  It was clear yesterday morning, Josiah was not doing well and dehydrated.

We got to the hospital in the late afternoon and came directly to his room.  I love that his pediatrician arranged for direct admission and we avoided the typical lengthy ER admission process. They gave Josiah a bag of IV fluids right away. I was hopeful he would bounce back pretty quickly but he’s still refusing food and water almost 24 hours later.

In the past 2 weeks Josiah has lost 5 pounds.  Since February he’s down a total of 16 pounds. That’s pretty significant for someone who doesn’t have a lot of meat on his bones to begin with. So far, there are no answers, but they are doing their best to figure it out.  For now, he has to start eating and drinking before they will let us out of here.

I was just discussing lunch options with the nurse.  Why is it hospitals, who are in the business of restoring health, offer such pitiful food choices to their patients? The selections for lunch and dinner consist of fried foods, fatty foods and starches.  The soups and broths are full of sodium. Dessert comes with every meal, except breakfast.  Someone needs to do something about this.

Hospital cafeterias should have fresh juice bars and a wide selection of organic, whole foods. Doesn’t that just make sense?  Instead of a McDonald’s full to overflowing in the hospital lower level, why not a Jamba Juice or Smoothie King.  Surely those would do a booming business and offer a healthier option.

Tonight Rick is staying with Josiah.  I will go home and load up some supplies for my next shift. Would it be wrong to bring this when I return?