First of all, safe travels to Maggie who is headed to South Carolina to join Charlie for a quick getaway weekend. Eva will be hanging with her next door neighbor, Becky...she LOVES Becky and is going to have such a good time!
Now on to what I'm sure you're all waiting for - more depressing news from Muir. Actually - things are looking up and there's a slim possibility that Jim will get out TODAY!!! Now, that is a slim possibility but I'm going to have positive thoughts and hope for the best.
Yesterday was a doozie of a day though I knew it would be. I worked (had an IEP meeting which went well) and then raced down to the hospital to see Jim. As I was in my meeting at the end of the day - Jim called (I didn't pick up) and so as I was walking to my car I returned his phone call. Reason for calling: He needed me to stop at the "pharmacy". That was a little confusing to me since he's in the hospital and anything he needs is prescribed there. What he meant, I soon found out, was that he wanted me to stop at Walgreens. He was in desperate need of heated gloves. I said, "Hand warmers?" No! Gloves that heat up. He stated he was SURE they would have them at Walgreens. I said, "Can I just pick them up tomorrow?" No, that wouldn't do. You see, apparently his hands are cramping up and heat is the only thing that makes them feel better. He's been using hot/warm water and soaking his hands but at night when he's trying to sleep that isn't conducive. I conceded and told him I would do my best.
Now I'm sure these gloves exist but not at Walgreens. All I managed to get were those disposable hand warmers that you can get in a 10 pack. I purchased a pack along with a pair of gloves. When I showed Jim I could see the disappointment on his face.
What I found out later, from Jim who finally fessed up to some of his behaviors was that Wednesday night he was obsessing about getting these gloves. He was SURE they existed somewhere in the hospital. He harassed his nurses for a while until they stopped entertaining his craziness and then he left his floor and started searching. Eventually he ended up in the ER where he was confronted by a cop who was on the search for him and he ended up having to be escorted back to his room (with 4 police officers). Hearing this story frightened the shit out of me as you can imagine. I mean, I knew these steroids were causing him overwhelming sadness and melancholy (along with his liver and cancer issues and being in the hospital for so long) but I didn't know he was so manic.
Jim and I had a long talk. I explained to him that he needed to take advantage of the Valium that was made available to him Monday and I gave him some visualization ideas to use when he started becoming overwhelmed with sadness or obsessed with something.
I then sent a text to the nurse practitioner and told her what was going on. She called me immediately and stated 1st that he may come home today (worst case scenario, Saturday) and 2nd, she wouldn't sent him home with me without something to curb his "psychosis". Haldol it is! I can't tell you how much that relieved me. I mean, what would happen if I'm at work or asleep and Jim decides he needs something right then and leaves and drives who-knows-where, without his phone...in the state of mind he's in!? UGH!
So yesterday was a bit of a stressor for me. But I'm hoping things are on the up. Jim tends to listen to me so I think he'll be okay from here on out (until we get him some haldol). If, IF!!! I hear that he'll be released today I'll be leaving school. I don't care if I don't have someone to cover for me (which I won't because there are about 20 subs in the school already with some stupid "redo day") because my priority is getting to the hospital, getting instructions from the doctors and nurses and getting Jim home. Period!
Okay - so I need to get going. Oh, Jim calling. He's just checking in...all is well. They've taken labs so we'll see the state of things in a few hours.
Happy Friday! Thank GOD it's Friday! Later!
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