I just wanted to post an update on what's going on around here.

Last weekend, Charlie started feeling very sick. He had all the symptoms of the flu. We treated the symptoms, and I had him drinking tons of fluids. Monday morning, I made an appointment with a doctor. Shortly after the appointment was made, Charlie called me to tell me that he was coughing up blood. I quickly got out of work, and headed home to take him to the hospital.

As I was getting into the car, he called back to say that he was about to pass out, and to call 911. I called while driving home. When I got home, he was in fact passed out. Luckily, he landed on one of Jon's inflated toys, which kept him from hitting his head on a wooden toy.

The ambulance showed up right after I did. They took him to the nearest er. When they checked his vitals, his blood pressure was low. Static was at 70. It took 5 hours, and 6 IV bags to get it above 100. He also had 75% of his left lung infected with pneumonia. Charlie was immediately given 3 different antibiotics in a row.

We had a very long day in the emergency room Monday. He was in a tremendous amount of pain, and he could barely breath. While we waited for an ICU room to be prepped for him, I went to pick up Jon from day care, and brought him to see Daddy. We knew that Jon would not be able to see him once he gets to ICU. I explained to situation to Jon on the way, and told him about the tubes. When we got there, Jon read Daddy a book, which made both of them feel better. Jon could tell that Daddy was really sick, and it made him nervous. But then, all of us were worried. Charlie was afraid of not making it through the night.

The next morning, I dropped Jon off at the day care, and went to see Charlie. He had to be on a ventilator with a mask. Luckily, he didn't need the tube. Back on the cannula, he was breathing a tiny bit better. His spirits were improved. Plus, his blood pressure was normal. That afternoon was better. Plus, he had a friend come by to visit as I was leaving to pick up Jon.

Today has seen some huge improvements. He is able to move around, and is breathing MUCH better. He is now on full size meals, and eating well. His nurse informed me that they might be able to remove most or all of the IVs tonight. Hopefully, he will be moved to a regular room tomorrow. After that, he should be home in a few days.

This has been an extremely trying week for all of us. The rest of the week will be much better. Charlie is improving by the hour, and Dianne is coming Thursday afternoon to help for a week.