Delia update

The triage nurse told us to take her to the ER. I thought of the three fruitless trips we'd made to the doctor, Urgent Care Clinic and Emergency room last week and winced. "We just gave her Tylenol," I said. "Would it be all right to wait to see if if brings her fever down first?"

The nurse said all right, but in any case she should be seen the next day [today].

In an hour, her fever was down to 100.5 F, so we didn't go to the ER. I slept on the floor of her room in a sleeping bag. She woke often, whimpering, staring around in wide-eyed terror at the shadows thrown against her walls from the nightlight. I would soothe her, stroking her sweaty hair, and give her her teddy bear to hold, and she would eventually settle back down to sleep again. Her fever was back up to 103.5 at 3:30 a.m., so I gave her Tylenol again.

I hope that if there were any lice left on her head after yesterday's treatment that the fever roasted the little buggers up.

This morning her temp is 98.7 F. We're off to the clinic momentarily.

Where I am sure that they will tell us (yet again) that it is probably a virus and there is nothing they can do. And we'll get another bill in the mail.

Back from the doctor's

The doctor tested her for mono (again) and strep (again). Delia wept as we waited for the test results, both because it seemed so unfair to have to produce blood for another test (fortunately it was just a finger stick this time, but it was still traumatic) and because she's just tired of it all. "I want something to come out positive," she moaned. "Then they could give me some medicine and I could get better."

Both tests came back negative (again). He told me to take her to see an infectious disease specialist, because he was out of ideas. I managed to wangle an appointment with one for tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

Delia's fever is now a little over 100. She is asleep in bed.

If Rob manages to break away from the store as planned, I'll be going into work soon.

Edited to add: She just woke up. 103.0 F.

For cards

A number of you have expressed a wish to send a get well card to Delia. If you'd like to send a card, address it to me as follows:

Peg Kerr
P.O. Box 2128
Loop Street Station
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Thanks so much from us all. You people are the best.

Edited to add: A couple have asked whether a card might be sent to Fiona, too, so she won't feel "left out." Well, Fiona HAS been left out: she's been away for the past two weeks, having an absolutely marvelous time at camp, and won't be back until Friday, so she's missed all this angst. Thus, you needn't feel that it's necessary--unless you'd just like to send her a greeting, too, out of sheer friendliness, you understand.

[I just hope I don't discover when she gets back that she's had lice, too, and they've proliferated completely out of control while she's been gone].

Eowyn Challenge Report

I'm now 140 miles past the Falls of Rauros. Today is also noteworthy because I did my 153rd workout of the year today (kickboxing and abs), which is my highest yearly total since I began keeping track four years ago, and I have months to go yet. I do think I will top 200 workouts this year. We'll see.

I thought I should point this out, so that I could say, somewhat forlornly, that at least I accomplished something today. If not writing.