Pulling an all-nighter

It's almost 2:30 in the morning, and I am up pulling an all-nighter. Not because of a sweet child who refuses to go to bed, not because I am studying for that final exam that starts in 7 hours (like I did so many times in college), but because Ralph is back in the hospital.

Thursday Ralph was back in Morgantown for the long awaited surgery on his right shoulder. If you recall his last visit to Ruby Memorial Hospital, you will remember that one of the consequences of his fall was a broken shoulder. In four places. On Thursday the surgeons had to go into his shoulder, re-break the bone that had already mended itself (albeit in the wrong way as far as function goes) and after a 4.5 hour surgery and 3 pints of blood later, they finished up and sent him for recovery.

He spent all day Friday in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. His wife, June, is completely exhausted, as she has been up with him, and worrying, since they arrived in Morgantown Thursday morning. Patrick and I have both had exhausting weeks at work. It's just been one of those weeks. Patrick is having one of his very rare headaches (which I think has been worsened by stress and worry). I think this is the only time I am thankful that I have a severe insomnia/sleep anxiety problem. I don't sleep without medication. And since that is a fact, I took it upon myself to volunteer for overnight duty with Ralph. I took over duty right around 10:30. At 1:30 AM the staff decided to move Ralph to a step-down unit (a huge answer to prayer, but why on earth did it have to happen in the middle of the stinkin' night?!?!). After getting acquainted with the new nursing staff (who have been SO wonderful) and getting Ralph settled, he has finally been able to drop off to sleep, and I hope it will be for a while.

Overall he is doing well. The surgery, while long and complicated, went well and the surgeons were pleased with everything they saw. The nurses have been doing a wonderful job at managing Ralph's pain. Our biggest concern, and the thing we need the most prayers about, is Ralph's blood pressure. Yesterday it was good. Tonight it hasn't been so stable. Right now it is 114/33. Good top number, REALLY LOW bottom number. He can't seem to stabilize his rates, and the staff is doing their best to help him with medication. There is no way he will be able to go home if his BP stays like that. It's the one thing that is really keeping me from resting either...every time I sit back to read a blog or start a movie, that darn machine beeps, reminding me that I am not at home, and this is not a dream.

I am so thankful to God that He has answered our prayers so far about Ralph. I am continually reminded that it could be so much worse, and that while a hospital can mean new life, renewed health, new abilities, it also very much means sickness, pain, and death. Yesterday as I was riding the elevator down to the lobby with my precious babe, a woman about my age was doing her best not to cry openly on the elevator. Her body heaved with sobs that she stifled in her husband/boyfriend/whatever's shirt. What made it so real, beside the very real tears, was her daughter, about 5 years old, who had her arms wrapped around her mother's leg, saying "Don't cry Mama" over and over. Talk about a tear jerker. I have never been on a longer 5 story elevator ride.

I am thankful that we are right now in the calm of this storm with Ralph. The storm is weakening. Our Captain has guided us through the worst, and we are hopefully moving into smoother waters. We are anticipating a few more days here in the 'Most Expensive Hotel in Town' and then Ralph will get to go back home, to HIS chair, HIS bed, HIS wife's cooking. Please pray if you are so led, for a swift discharge, and continued progress. And please, please pray for stabilization of his blood pressure. For the rest of the night I will be enjoying the company of a very good man, the peace and quiet of a corner room away from the nurses' station, and hopefully a Hannibal Lecter 4 movie marathon!

And speaking of college (coming full circle).....today was official "move in" day at West Virginia. There were a gazillion out of town drivers going the wrong way, clogging lanes, and creating a general craziness around town. I had one of those "oh my gosh I am old" moments earlier this week when, at 10:30 at night, I was waiting in a LINE of people to check out at the one cash register open in Walmart (I'll leave my grumblings about having 26 registers, but only one open for another day). A group of young college students, possibly band members or a staff of Resident Assistants got in line behind me. They were acting like all silly teenagers do...laughing hysterically over the fact that they were all standing in the same line (like hello? Don't you see that EVERYONE is standing in this line?!?!), making silly jokes about totally irrelevant things, etc. Without any warning, my brain sent the following thought: I wish those darn kids would just be quiet! Immediately followed was this thought: OH MY GOSH I AM SO OLD! And when I thought that, of course I did the math and sadly realized that I am old enough, at 30, to have been these freshmen and sophomores' babysitter!!! I quickly gathered my "responsible" purchase of items like a step ladder, toilet seat, and weight loss food and ran from the store, perhaps hoping that this wasn't really true, that I wasn't aging so fast that it seemed like yesterday that I WAS that freshman on move-in day.

Where on earth has the past 12 years gone???