Monday, May 5, 2008

Mimi and Florence.

Two and a half weeks ago I felt as if I were on my death bed, (as you will recall) and Didier was there, nursing me along the way.

Well, now it's my turn. :-) and I go there willingly.

Didier has been under the weather for over 2 weeks now. It started back on Friday April 18th. He'd been coughing, congested and fevered for a couple days and by that Friday, he was down for the count. He called in sick to work, made a Dr's appointment for Saturday and went back to bed. On Saturday the Dr said "Flu"... and so he took it easy, bed rest, Tylenol and lots of cough syrup and juice... He stayed home on the following Monday and grudgingly went back on Tuesday, based on deadlines and workloads he felt compelled to complete.

Slowly but surely he was improving during the week, but no great leaps made. By the weekend of the 26th/27th we were now both sick, coughing constantly, in tandem so it seemed so that sleep had become a thing of the past.

By Wed the 30th we actually both seemed to be noticeably improving. That was short lived however...

We went over to our friends Jason and Franco's place for "Ugly Betty Night" a double feature this week of not only U-B but also LOST, as neither Didier or I saw last weeks episodes and our friends kindly PVR'ed em. Along with five other friends, (we were nine in total, and of that nine, five of us were under the weather. Curse the psycho warm\cold weather) So it was BBQ-steaks and two Ugly Bettys, a little bit of coughing,a few drinks and some homemade cantelope ice cream, then the first LOST (the previous week's taped episode) At 9:50pm we thanked out hosts again for a wonderful meal, evening and taping U-B and LOST and quickly scurried home to catch the current evening's episode (thankfully, living 2 blocks apart allows for such timely exits and entrances...)

By 11:00pm Didier was decidedly a bit sicker, and running another fever. By Friday morning he was having difficulty breathing; his chest was very tight, he was coughing and choking and now running a fever of 103.7'F (39.8'C) He called into work 'dead'. Having to leave for work, I left strict instructions: "Go see your Doctor this morning, and if he's not available go to Emergency."

I got a call at work by about 11:30am or so, he'd just got back home from the Emergency at St-Luc and it was confirmed... Pneumonia. 2 weeks of antibiotics*. Not good, but coulda been worse I guess... I mean he didn't need to be hospitalized. (Thankfully.)

I got home on Friday evening, checked in on my little guy who had by now perfected his Mimi imitation from La Boheme (heh) and aside from juice and ice water and the odd Tylenol, had been and continued to work on his transformation into a Bat and sleep in 'the cave' (a.k.a. master bedroom) I passed out myself on the living room sofa, tired as much from the week's work as my own nagging cough. I got up periodically to check on Mimi, get a new fever reading and fill the ice in his glass.

8:30am Saturday I got Mimi up and prepared to get him to see the Doctor (an appointment he made before going to the Emergency, just in case that didn't pan out... you can only wait in a stuffy Emergency room waiting room so long). We cabbed the whole 6 blocks down Rene-Levesque and waited til 10:40am for his 9:50am appointment. Within a few minutes of seeing the Dr, answering a few questions and asking a few of our own, Doctor wrote a note excusing Mimi from work til the 16th. Bed-rest and little else on the agenda.

By 11am we were back home and I got Mimi a little something to eat (the first food since Thursday night), he took his minivans , er I mean antibiotics, and was sent back to bed.

After making a quick list I was off to the Grocery Store collecting what foods Mimi requested along with some Ensure and a little extra soup, soup and soup... By the time I got back home I had morphed into full-on Florence Nightingale-mode, to match his Mimi-mode.

The remainder of the weekend included much sleeping, pill taking and fever by good-patient Mimi. Sleep, checking in on Patient Mimi, and movie-watching** by faithful Florence.

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I can't help but wonder how a parent feels when one of their children is sick. I mean, there's only so much you can do. You can check on them a million times an hour, wish and hope that they get better quick, cater to their wants and needs and still after all of that, feel completely ineffectual, 110% useless and incapable of doing enough to actually improve their condition...

I checked on Didier as often as I thought would just border under the line of acceptable - show my concern and readiness to help, while not raising his blood pressure by hounding him. You want them to rest, but you want to be sure whatever they need, you're getting for them as soon as possible. Asking questions while trying not to ask too many and upset them. Putting food in front of them, asking them, telling them to eat,they have to eat, when you know damn well when you're sick you don't have an appetite and being told to eat just makes it worse.

So yea... I don't have any kids, and I'm glad, 'cause I don't think I have the heart to see them sick. Dealing with the one you love, who's also a grown adult is hard enough, because there's nothing more retching to your hear-strings than when someone you love is ill. If it were a little child, my heart would completely break.

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...and how was your your cold, wet and windy weekend?

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Mimi is convalescing peacefully this week, Florence will run a double-feature at Lantheus Medical Imaging during the day and nurse Patient-Mimi evenings.

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* not so much pills as small minivans. Bright Yellow and in pairs. 'Cause really, why try and swallow one Minivan when you can swallow two!?!

** Florence can now recite whole segments of dialogue from Beauty Shop which appeared to run 24-7 over the weekend (in reality he only watched it 3 times) He also realizes he really enjoys a Queen Latifah flick... (Last Holiday, being tried and true) Also on his list of features: Monster House, Meet the Robinsons (twice) Music and Lyrics, The Jerk and The Hunt for Red October (not necessarily in that order).

10 comments:

Maria said...

Ahhhhhh finally a topic I know something about. Nursing a kid thats under the weather. First of all poor Didier I sure hope he's feeling better and bed rest really does help.

My little Princess was not feeling well on Friday night and so I slept with her. Then on Saturday morning sonny boy woke up feeling under the weather. He said he had a stomach ache and thought it had to do with being hungry. He always associats stomach cramps with hunger pains being the always HUNGRY teenager. So he says "Mom lets go out for breakfast" and so I shower and away we go. He orders a HUGE crepe and devours the entire thing. I am thinking he should be OK now. But as we head back home he is still complaining of stomach cramps. He spends several minutes at a time sitting on the throne and nothing is happening.

Next thing thats worrying him is that he has his 1st big game that afternoon and how is he going to play? So hubby comes home from work and we tell him he is not feeling well, I tell hubby to call the coach and tell him that although we will show up for the game I suggest he doesn't play. Before hubby can call the coach we receive an e-mail stating that sonny boy will not be in the starting line up. I was relieved. Right after we read the e-mail the coach calls and says plans have changed they have a new strategy and they need sonny boy in the starting line up. Hubby says "OK. No Problem" I was livid... ummmmmm hello ? did we not just finish saying he is NOT feeling well?

So, we get to the game and I insist that hubby speak to the coach and tell him to sit out. The coach assumes its NERVES... I'm his mother and he has NEVER ever been nervous to play a soccer game, he thrives on it. So they make him play. At the end of the game I asked him how he was feeling and he said he forgot all about the pain while he was on the field but he is shivering and not looking very good. I take him home and make him some soup, draw a bath and lay down next to him. By 8:30PM in the middle of the Montreal Canadiens game he says he wants to go to sleep. Unusual for a dude who will never miss a Canadiens game. So I tuck him into bed and lay down next to him for a few minutes. A few minutes turned into the entire night. I slept with him and took his temp (38.6) and would wake up and watch him every hour or so to make sure he was OK. By Sunday morning he was feeling better and I was happier. Moral of the story hubby & I slept apart the entire weekend, except for last night when we originally started off together but somehow I woke up this morning with Princess in our bed.

See, I told you I knew something about this topic!! Now next time maybe your gonna want to blog about Dancing with the Stars or LOST... there I can offer no input.

Ma Horton said...

Oh baby I never knew that you guys got so sick after I left town . Take care you guys and 2 hot toddies from Ma . We all need to get our butts in healthy gear for spring and summer . xoxox

Sean Newbury said...

Maria... how do you solve a Mother like Maria... Talk kids... that's how! heh. Sorry to hear the wee ones were under the weather... however I'd be almost as concerned at Hub's allowing your wee laddie to play. Shame on him. Gawd he's SUCH a dad eh?

I'll try and post other than DWTS and Lost for ya... what are ya watchin? You Betty? I don't usually BlogBetty but I would for you...

Sean Newbury said...

One could ask if it's a coincidence that we nearly die when Ma goes away... It is physical or emotional...

Come back to the five and dime Donna Spears - Donna Spears...

Maria said...

yeah I was freaked at his response ... ARGH!!!!!!!! MEN!
He just assumed it was nothing, but we mothers we know better. I hate to see them under the weather and all quiet. Then again, when they are at each other's thoats and screaming at each other you tend to think differently!

So in the meantime, talk kids, food, movies, etc... anything but dwts and LOST - oh btw I don't watch UGLY BETTY either. LOL

Sean Newbury said...

Ok, what DO you watch on the idiot box?!?! Inquiring minds and all...

Maria said...

hehe... I watch...

1) Two and Half Men
2) Don't forget the lyrics
3) Deal or No Deal

All the Superficial Crap... you get the picture.

Sean Newbury said...

WOW!
Really?
1) Never got it
2) s'ok
3) TOO annoying and neurotic... and the contestants bug me too.

That all you really watch?!!?

Maria said...

I watch some sappy movies too...

With the warm weather approaching I will be watching less and less TV.

Plus, I am so darn busy with the kids and their activities who has time for TV?

Sean Newbury said...

Bite your tongue!

There is ALWAYS time for TV.