what a bad week this is becoming

Bill was back in school today, though he still felt very very weak. I went back to work again tonight, though I am still having the kidney screams in my back, and am having occasional dizzy spells. How much do we have to keep drinking to finally re hydrate ourselves, for heaven's sake? I felt like I was moving in slow motion all day today...

Apparently this stuff is going around the area right now, and is causing all sorts of problems. A restaurant in Ann Arbor had to temporarily close because so many of its employees were sick with it, a middle school in a neighboring county had to close, and a restaurant in Lansing had some sick employees come into work, and they infected something like 350-400 people. It is a norovirus which causes this:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/faq.htm

On top of the health issues, JACHO (the national hospital accreditation group) arrived at my employer today for a surprise inspection and will be there until Friday. It is always extremely stressful to have them around, though possibly not as bad as the US Inspector General. Actually, it would be very hard to choose which one is worse to deal with...

And the worst news of all is that my friend will be losing his two sons. My friend and his lovely wife became foster parents many many months ago to two little boys (a baby and a toddler) who had been taken from their biological "parents" because they were abused. My friend and his wife love the two little ones as much as any words could ever express. They had hoped to permanently adopt them. But the courts are apparently going to hand them back to the abusive "parents".

Such things can drive you mad with fury and grief if you think about them too much.

back to work

Though my back is still aching on both sides right above my pelvis (I think my kidneys are still screaming at me), things are better. I even managed to pee a couple of times this afternoon and evening. That's not usually a big deal...except when you are so dehydrated that you can't. Bill is doing better, too, according to Dan, who came home about the time I left this afternoon.

Ah well. The best lessons we can learn in this life are usually the most painful. I know after this weekend, I will have a lot more compassion for people who have severe diarrhea! And the next time I read an old novel where the heroine "romantically" faints I will get a good laugh. There is nothing romantic whatsoever about fainting - it is embarrassing and unpleasant and frightening.

The dog and cats are very unhappy today. They have not had canned food since Saturday. They have plenty of fresh, clean water - and unlimited amounts of dry food. But none of us can stand the thought of opening up the stinky canned food right now. The pets feel as if they are being tortured, but I think they will have to wait a day or so...

more sickness & am I ever getting tired of it!

Well, Saturday night and on into Sunday was pretty bad. Dan and Bill were both very sick. I got it, too. At one point, after washing my hands after yet another round of having diarrhea and vomiting in the trash can while sitting on the commode, I started feeling very light headed. My only though was to get back to bed before  I collapsed, but I didn't make it. I fainted in the hallway. I came to, scrabbling my hands against the floor like a rat in a cage, and whimpering. Dan was hovering over me - he had heard the big thud as I had gone down. I was glad he was there, as he could get me the garbage can so I could throw up some more. He stayed with me until I was done with more vomiting and diarrhea, and helped me get back to bed until the next round hit.

At one point I realized how diarrhea like that could kill someone, if left untreated for a few days. It was like water, and uncontrollable. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

I was still going to try to go into work last night, until Dan pointed out that I had just asked him to stay in the bathroom and sit on the toilet with a book while I got a quick bath. If I was too shaky to take a bath without a spotter, I could not safely drive or work, either.

Things are finally going a bit better today. Bill is home from school, but he can keep down crackers and juice and water this morning. I am better, too, other than an awful back ache. I think my kidneys are screaming at me because I am so dehydrated. I am drinking as much juice and water as I can stand to without getting my stomach going again.

Reading back over this blog, I have just realized how rough this winter has been. It has been one sickness or injury after another for one family member after another. This is starting to become extremely tiring.

turning into a rotten day

It had been a nice day here at home with Steven. We were at peace, and watched the huge snowflakes fall this afternoon. We built a huge warm fire for the cats and the dog to bask beside.

Then Dan and Bill got home from Battle Creek. They had to leave because they were both so sick. They threw up in garbage bags all the way home and they had diarrhea, too. And they've been sick ever since they got here. Lord, they can't even keep water down.

I had finished watching a good, though very gross movie right before they got home while Steven was downstairs. I'm glad that was done before they got home! It was one I had been wanting to see since our weekend in Evanston. Steven and I had seen the man eating lions at the Field Museum, and so I watched the movie about them, called Ghost and the Darkness. The two lions killed and ate humans like foxes would go after chickens in a hen coop. Not anything someone already throwing up needs to see!

The snow changed back over to winter mix, and though it rained/snowed/mixed all day long, we ended up without really any ground cover...

the return of winter

Winter has returned today. Last night before going to bed I peeked out the front door and saw that we were having a freezing fog. It was raining most of the morning, and has now switched over to snow. The weather forecasts are very jumbled right now. Depending on which forecast you listen to, we could have anywhere between one and twelve inches of snow this afternoon and tonight, depending upon the storm track and when any particular area switches over from snow to rain.

Steven was still feeling sort of icky yesterday so stayed home from school. Today he is feeling better, and I just made him a large lunch, which he eagerly devoured. I guess he must be hungry after not eating very much (or nothing at all during the height of the throwing up period) for the last two days.

Bill and Dan are off at a wrestling tournament in Battle Creek. Bill is spending the night there with his team. Dan might stay there or return - it depends completely on the roads. It started snowing there hours before it started here, so everything is unclear at the moment. At least he has my Jeep, so he will have the four wheel drive if he needs it. If he is not able to make it home, I will try to get to work tomorrow in his Dodge Ram. The weight of that truck often gets it through bad snow, even though it does not have the four wheel drive.

I am watching the huge snow flakes coming down. They are very beautiful. In a few minutes, I will build a fire in the fireplace for the cats. They love to bask near it, and just soak up the heat from the hearth.

dune chapter 6

Dune chapter 6: How do we approach the study of Muad'Dib's father? A man of surpassing warmth and surprising coldness was the Duke Leto Atreides. Yet, many facts open the way to this Duke: his abiding love for his Bene Gesserit lady; the dreams he held for his son; the devotion with which men served him. You see him there- a man snared by Destiny, a lonely figure with his light dimmed behind the glory of his son. Still, one must ask: What is the son but an extension of the father?
~ from "Muad'Dib, Family Commentaries" bu the Princess Irulan

In this chapter we get to see the Duke Leto interact with his on Paul.

Many things become clear. Leto mentions that he is a leader of sorts for the Great Houses in the Landsraad. Leto also knows that he and his family are in grave danger, but is willing to step into the trap he knows is there. The potential rewards are as great as the danger.

The risks are not only from military attack from the Harkonnen and possibly from the Emporer - but they also face a possible attack on an economic front. Arrakis is the only sourse of the most priceless substance in the galaxy - the spice melange. The Harkonnen have undoubtedly been stockpiling melage for two decades. If they can cripple productin under the Atreides, they can cause economic troubles and ripples throughout the galaxy, while cleaning up themselves on the markets from their stockpiles. This will bring enmity and isolation upon House Atreides, and undermine Leto's leadership among the great Houses.

Leto tells Paul that he believes that the dreaded Imperial troops, the Sardauker, come from the hell world of Salusa Secundis. The horrible environmental conditions there form the toughest fighters in the galaxy. Paul is quick to make the connection with the Fremen on Arrakis. can those people, who live in conditions every bit as bad, also be formed into a force of elite and dreaded fighters? A force who will support the Atreides?

This is really where I start to wonder what Leto is up to. What does he want this elite force for? Is it just to protect his family from the Harkonnen and the Emperor , or does he have Imperial ambitions himself? The Emperor only has daughters...and from the Dune Houses series, we know that Leto is a cousin of Shaddam, and that Shaddam has killed all of his more closely related male relatives. Does Leto wish to sieze power, perhaps marry his son to one of the Imperial daughters? Does he want his children or grandchildren to rule the galaxy? Or does he really only wish to protect his family from evil and debased enemies?

We end with the note that Paul has the sort of mind that he could become a mentat with the right sort of training. He agrees to receive that training...

ground hog day

Today it was Steven's turn to get the tummy bug. Poor kid couldn't even keep down water most of the day. Top that off with his coaches pushing him back into wrestling meets too quickly (his father will not stand up to them on the matter and I never see them because of my work schedule) and seriously messing up his already injured knee earlier this week (he cannot feel anything, and the doctors cannot even properly evaluate it until some of the feeling comes back to the knee in a week or two) and missing school last week due to the nasty cold, and the little guy has been having a rough time lately.

Bill is doing well. Having last weekend off and getting lots of sleep when we were in Kalamazoo has really recharged his batteries. He and Dan will be traveling with the high school team to Battle Creek for a big tournament this weekend. It should be fun for them; and home should be very pleasant and peaceful for Steven and me. If his tummy is feeling better, I will bake him some cookies.  Maybe we can finally go see the Narnia movie.