Update

I’m tired, so this will be brief.

Janine was moved out of ICU this afternoon to a regular room on the floor below. A while after the move, though, her blood pressure dropped precipitously, so the nurse said she may need to be moved back because she would need far more intense scrutiny and monitoring than would be possible on a regular patient floor. However, her blood pressure improved and he said she should be fine to stay where she is.

The hospitalist came by around 11 a.m. and said he was concerned about blood pressure, anemia, lethargy, and her leg, though her leg was not the major issue (though it bears close watching). He said he wanted to continue a dopamine drip and wanted to give her two units of blood; both should help boost blood pressure and the blood should begin to address the anemia and, therefore, the lethargy. Because something (I do not recall what) was increasing her blood sugar level, he decided to give her insulin, as well. The rest of the day was spent as usual in the hospital: blood draws, injections, medications, regular checks of vital signs, etc.

Janine ordered lunch and ate the partial breast of an old, tough chicken that looked to me like it had been starved to death. She also had salad and chocolate pudding. I ate nothing because I did not bring anything with me and they did not offer anything. It’s not like I’ll starve simply by missing a meal or a month’s worth of meals.

After the room move, a nurse (new to the job) suggested I call and order dinner for Janine and ask for one for me. I did. The meal service happily agreed to a meal for Janine, but the guy said he was afraid he could not give me one, as much as he’d like to. He seemed genuinely sorry he could not feed me.

I left sometime around 6:45. Since then, I’ve eaten and spoken to a couple of folks on the phone. My sister-in-law, good person that she is, took care while I was out by taking a box from Green Chef into the house (and refrigerating/freezing what needed those treatments) after it was delivered, along with a new modem.

I may know more, but I don’t recall what it is. It sounds to me like the doctors are planning on keeping Janine for another day or two, at least. We shall see.