I Didn’t Realize I Should be so Thankful

MLB continues to mend from her recent surgery/hospitalization. The incision wound no longer requires its twice-daily irrigation and dressing change; a Band-Aid handles it. MLB changes that. My major-league nursing duties are now no longer required. I’m glad for that, and hereby surrender my surgical gloves.

In my original post, I mentioned that she had emergency surgery. I note now that I never documented the nature of the affliction. She had a duodenal perforation, which I artlessly thought was an ulcer-like condition. And, it is ulcer-like, to a degree. This perforation was spewing stuff into the abdominal cavity that just doesn’t belong there. Left alone, the poisoning would have produced a far-from-optimal result.

The potential outcome of MLB’s affliction was made crystal clear to me today. MLB called her sister in Arkansas; sister-in-law mentioned an acquaintance who had recently gone to ER with similar symptoms. The diagnosis was pneumonia. It wasn’t. Sister-in-law’s friend died. From something similar, if not precisely the same thing as MLB had.

I’m more weak-kneed now than I was at the hospital. I had no idea of precisely how grave this was. I’ll use those weak knees, bow down, and give more thanks than I already have.

-k-