Ever Vigilant

Week three of being in isolation because of the hospital MRSA bacteria, and after two weeks of negative swab test we counted on another negative this week. Unfortunately, and pretty depressingly, the third swab came back positive. The nurse took another swab just to make sure and again, it came back positive today. This was so disheartening for Rebel . She is tired of all of us wearing gowns, masks and gloves. The point is.. for us not to carry the bacteria and spread it outside her room. And she gets it and we get it. However it doesn't make it easier to have to keep this exercise going for another three weeks now. It's just another one of those things on the up down up down roller coaster we and Rebel are on I suppose.

There are a few other things - another blood transfusion as Rebel's hemoglobin is low.. but that is not uncommon because of the blood thinners needed to work with the VAD. Until the recent MRSA thing...things are as they should be. It's tough though as Rebel isn't supposed to touch anything when she leaves her room, and we have to be vigilant about what goes in and out of her room.

Work has been all right. I've been visiting at lunch and then toward the late afternoon but it means the SU doesn't get in til late, so if I can somehow get myself to work by 8 AM, I can leave earlier in the afternoon and still head home at a time reasonable for SU.

The SU is beside himself with this MRSA thing. He's convinced it has to do with the Rebel's BF who doesn't always follow the masking rule. The two kiss regularly and the SU is sure it is all his fault. He can be a bit of a dork in spite of his devotion. For a man in his 20s he can be a bit of a boy sometimes. - the BF I mean! The girl's best friend also plays fast and loose with her mask. On this the SU and I agree that we hope these two have figured out the need to follow hospital protocol regardless of what our Rebel likes and doesn't like about the mask and gown treatment.

I have been playing with the daughter's pink Nintendo DS... I am so bad at anything needing hand eye coordination so no golf, no cars... I can manage Diner Dash and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader... so far... Mario.

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how bad I am at that...