both bitter and sweet

Well, it was quite a week. Bill and I are still recovering from that virus, a week later. We are both having problems becoming fully hydrated, though, as the doctor said - as long as we keep drinking as much as we can stand to, it will eventually happen. At least the kidney ache is not as frequent as it was earlier in the week. And there are not as many dizzy spells as earlier. And Bill is probably through with wrestling, as he is still weak, and the season is so close to being over anyway. The doctor did not forbid it, though he certainly did not encourage it, either. He had lost nearly ten pounds from the vomiting and diarrhea last weekend - which is a lot when you only weight 130 pounds to begin with. He is on the low end of what the doctor wants him to weigh, so they keep a close eye on his weight. They really scolded him before we explained how sick he had been. The doctor confirmed it had been the Norwalk virus that is sweeping the area, and after giving Bill a very thorough examination, said that he is still very dehydrated. Not quite enough to go to the ER for an outpatient IV, but enough to be concerned about, and to keep a close eye on his fluid intake.

I'm sort of sad that after all of those years of work, his probable last match as a senior will be one where he writhed on the mat from the pain of tummy cramps, and then vomited all over the mat in front of a huge crowd...but since he had such a rough four years in high school it is almost appropriate, too. Of all of the seniors on the team, his was the roughest road, with the most work for the least reward. But that is a part of life, and hopefully someday he can look back at that and learn some lessons from it.

Yesterday I took Steven in to the ear clinic at UM Hospital for his annual hearing test. there are genetic hearing problems in his father's family, and he has congenital hearing loss. He cannot hear one specific frequency (oddly enough - the frequency of a referee's whistle). They give him some tests every year to make sure he is not losing anymore of his hearing. This year he was just fine.

Afterwards I took him to breakfast at Angelo's, a restaurant near the hospital which is one of the most favorite breakfast places in Ann Arbor. They bake their own bread there, and the toast (and French toast) are these wonderful big slabs of delicious homemade bread. Steven seemed to really enjoy going there, and had a decadent breakfast of deep fat fried French toast, smothered under whipped cream and fresh berries. It was my first real meal since last weekend when I got so sick, and I managed to eat two slabs of toast and some breakfast potatoes. Since I still have no appetite (a problem Bill is also having) I had to force myself to eat it, and I am proud I managed to get so much down.

Last night Dan and I went to hear some wonderful mariachi music in Ann Arbor. It is hard to find good mariachi music in this area, and this was very good maricahi music, from a group called Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. They had a concert in the big classical auditorium at UM. It was a lot of fun, and the music was just grand. The entire crowd really got into it and clapped along and sang to better known songs. Unfortunately, Dan was not feeling well (also having unpleasant aftereffects from the virus) and I worried about him. He had stopped taking his blood pressure medication when he was sick, as it is a "water pill", and he was dehydrated from being sick and decided it wasn't a good idea to take it until he started feeling better. The other night he started taking it again, and it did a whammy on him. So he was shifting and squirming in his seat. I kept offering to leave and go home, but he kept refusing. I wanted him to call the doctor this morning, but he wouldn't do that, either. What is it with men and not going to the doctor?

Bill got a letter yesterday offering him advanced admission into the architecture school at Ball State. He has until the end of the month to make up his mind. Hopefully he will know by then whether or not he will be offered a full ride scholarship from Western Michigan, and what is going on at Northwestern...