Day 22
Josiah is FREE! This afternoon he was released from the hospital. We are so very grateful for all the prayers and support and well wishes while he was there.
The Doctor told Rick it was time to send Josiah home because all the kids around him were getting sick. They came in without a runny nose or cough, but quickly caught it from somewhere and spread it around to all the other kids. Josiah picked it up by Saturday morning.
Funny how that happens. Josiah didn’t come into contact with any other patients. He didn’t visit the play room. He rarely left his room, except for 2 short trips in the wheel chair for a cafeteria visit.
Everyone who came into his room I assume, squirted antibacterial scrub on their hands before entering. I’m certain they did that for each patient they visited. So perhaps it was an airborne virus that spread around the hospital unit. Doesn’t matter. Josiah is home and that is fantastic.
We’ve decided, along with the medical staff who took care of Josiah that it will be very important to keep him away from germs as much as possible. (Maybe my bubble boy idea isn’t really that outlandish.) We’ve decided Josiah will not return to school for the remainder of the school year. There are only 6 weeks left anyway.
Since January, Josiah has had a very difficult time fighting infection. Almost every single time he finished an antibiotic or rebounded after a viral infection, he’d return to school and a few days later be sick again. When he gets sick, most of the rest of us do too.
His immune system is weakened and needs time to recover. Josiah puts his hands in his mouth frequently which doesn’t help much either. Hopefully we can work to amend that behavior and replace it with something just as satisfying but much less germ ridden.
Starting tomorrow, Josiah will be home 24/7. Starting tomorrow, I am having total knee replacement surgery, which means I’ll be in the hospital for 3 days, recovering for 6 weeks. This was not a pre-planned procedure. It was decided late this afternoon, while Josiah was being discharged. It is necessary and quite honestly, long over-due.
So, life around here is about to become very interesting. Who am I kidding? Life around here is always an adventure. I’m not certain what the weeks ahead will be like for all of us. It will be different, that’s for sure. And here’s something else I know. I will get some down time.
A nurse today told me I’d have a pain pump at my disposal for a little while. Here’s to a few days of blissful pain-free, house work-free, errand-free, meal prep-free rest and relaxation. And if you don’t hear from me for a few days, you’ll know why. No worries, I’ll be back before you know it.
It may not be Bora Bora, but I’ll take a break anyway I can get it.