I'll take 2 new immune systems, please

This year has started out with a theme... illness.  I got sick with a nasty cold right after Christmas. On New Years, Matt came down with an awful stomach bug and fever. Of course, being my turn, I caught the flu and bronchitis at work and just when I thought Matt was going to make it through without catching it.. he came down with it.  So January has consisted of buying an entire pharmacy, truck loads of Kleenex and lots of time together.

This past weekend was (hopefully) the worst of it. I think we're both finally starting to feel better.  That wasn't the case on Friday.

If you have a weak stomach, just skip the next paragraph. As a nurse, I have no idea what the socially acceptable limit of medical details is being that I discuss bowel patterns with people on a daily basis. Not that I'm necessarily interested - it's just part of the job.

Matt had been running fever around 103 for about 3-4 days even while he was on tylenol. He was having to shower and change clothes multiple times during the night because he would soak through them. Yes, he is potty trained. He was soaking his clothes because of breaking the fever over and over again :)  Thursday night went as usual, him up every hour coughing, changing clothes, and being miserable. Since, I sleep through earthquakes and had to wake up for work the next morning, I only woke up for half of it. Until 4am when he informed me that he was coughing up... *weak stomachs skip this*... blood.  Not just a little. Huge clots. Coughing it up, blowing it out of his nose. It was scary.

Knowing Matt's health history made this even scarier. Exactly 9 years ago he was hospitalized with pneumonia and the outlook was not good. His family was told he might night make it. So near death sickness in the past, now coughing up what seems like all the blood in his body. This was serious.  I knew it was bad once he said we needed to go to the ER.  Matt will faint if you say the word needle and a trip to the ER was a guaranteed stick.

I called in to work even though I was headed that way. This time as a patient('s wife) not to work. My mind was racing "They're going to see this much blood and want to check his labs, they're going to have to draw blood. What if his H&H is low? They will want to give him blood. He'll have to have an IV for blood. The ER will probably put it in the AC and every time he bends his arm it will kink off. Then the floor nurse will want to put a different one is so it will stop kinking. That's at least 3 needle sticks. What doctor is admitting patient's today? I hope we get one of the doctors I like....."  

We made it all the way to the ER with Matt holding tight to a "spit cup" and tissues. Maybe the adrenaline kicked in, maybe he realized all the needle sticks that were to come, or maybe God answered our prayers... the bleeding stopped once we were in the parking lot.  We hung around outside for a little while just to make sure before heading home.  We went home and though he was still sick, I think he may have enjoyed all the pampering.

Don't you think so?

He was freezing, obviously, even though his temp was 103. This is how he spent most of the day.

His parents came by to visit and brought us some supplies. My mother-in-law taught me how to cook a whole chicken.  Now I love all things domestic: baking, sewing, cleaning, decorating, babies, etc. But cooking hasn't always been my strong point. I can do it but I seem to only know a few recipes and cook them over and over again.  Now I know how to cook a chicken!

I divided it up to freeze some and to make several meals out of it. Matt got chicken noodle soup while he was sick. I plan on using this link: How to Stretch a Chicken to Make Six Meals  to make it go a long way.

 Aren't you proud momma? :)

Matt is no longer running fever and is back at work today (partially because he has used up all sick days for 2011 in the first month).  He would have loved to stay home today since it's snowing and most everything is closed except hospitals and the stock market. So Matt has to go do whatever financial people do and luckily, I'm off today.


I'll leave you with a picture of our wintry wonderland this morning.

Nix must have impeccable bladder control. She refuses to step foot out there. 


I'm off today. It's freezing outside. I guess I'll have to stay in and sew!