I never thought that something like chickenpox would cause my wife to be rushed to the hospital, but that is exactly where she is and what happened.
My wife is now ensconced in the ICU unit, where she is under strict isolation: nobody can see her unless they gown up, for risk of even further infection, and they have her knocked out and are giving her mass doses of painkillers and other drugs to keep her hydrated and are giving her antiviral drugs and antihistamines. She has no awareness of people even seeing her or the doctors or nurses tending to her.
It is heartbreaking.
Our son, Kyle Lane, came down with chickenpox last week. He is about over it, but has some leftover scabbing and some itching, but is otherwise acting like his normal self again. (He is six.) Then yesterday, Leila (that's my wife) came down with a fever and last evening, she broke out in a terrible rash. She then started having seizures because her fever rose to over 104 degrees and started having problems with her breathing, so I called for the paramedics. They, in kind, rushed Leila to the hospital, where she is at the current time.
Her condition, last I heard, is still critical. There are no guarantees as to whether she will even recover. She is still very sick, according to the doctors and nurses.
My wife's mother is here, taking care of Kyle while I go see Leila at the hospital. Thank God for her mother; she is always there whenever we need it the most! She is very good with her grandson and Kyle absolutely adores her. I don't have to worry about him when I go to leave to see my wife. I know he is in safe hands.
I don't know how long Leila will remain in the hospital, but one thing is certain: right now, things aren't looking very good. She is managing to hold on, but her vital signs are still erratic and unpredictable. She is keeping the Intensive Care staff hopping.
The nurse called me just about a half hour ago. She did manage to make it through the night, but as I said, her condition is still critical. Any number of things can still happen, among them developing complications like hepititis, encephalitis, and in rare cases, necrotizing fasciitis ("flesh-eating disease"). The ICU staff will be monitoring her at all costs and make sure that these things don't happen. It's already bad enough she has pneumonia as it is; she doesn't need anything else to go wrong!
Well, I am going to take a shower, go to McDonald's to grab a Little Mac combo (to eat on the way to the hospital), and then see Leila. Just say some huge prayers or her (and for myself); we could really use a miracle about now! I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance!
I will let you know in a few days how Leila is doing. Hopefully the next time I write, there will be better news! Pray that this is the case!
~Leo Chadwick. :(
~To be continued.~
