All good things must come to an end. After so many weeks of feeling good, Bill is back in the hospital with pneumonia. He started feeling poorly early in the week, but then the next day would be feeling better and having some energy. Wednesday he really started coughing and had shortness of breath. Thursday was better and he was able to get up and ready for the dr. on Friday without too much trouble. He didn't want to use his wheelchair, but by the time we got to the dr., he had very little stamina left.

His labs showed that his white count was 22.9. That's 22,900 which is double what it should be. Connie didn't even listen to him, so just said we needed to head south, which means Memphis for the hospital. So, ran home, picked up a few things, and got to the hospital about 1 in the afternoon. 

More lab work, chest x-ray, chest CT scan, urinalysis, consult with Mayo and a local transplant cardiologist and 8 hours in the emergency room later, he finally was moved to a room about 9 last night. The hospitalist in the ER wanted him put into transplant ICU, which is a closed unit but there was a patient in step-down who was going downhill so that patient got the room. It took an hour and a half to find him a room. They finally decided that since he was stable as far as vitals went, he could go to transplant step-down, which is where he had been before. He's across the hall from his last room. The good part of that is that I can be with him all the time if need be. The closed units have very strict visiting hours. I would imagine it's because they don't have the separate ventilation system that Mayo has. Their ICU is open which is so nice.

Anyway, we got him settled in and went over all the meds with his nurse. They had given, or were giving, high powered IV antibiotics when I left about 9:45. I stopped on my way out for a diet coke and I looked at the snack machine, but nothing looked or sounded good. By the time I got home, and once I was out of Memphis I talked to my sister all the way home, I was too tired to eat. So, the 3 peppermints I had at the hospital, and the individual serving of ice cream I had when I got home was dinner. They were going to bring Bill a turkey sandwich and some pretzels after they got all the assessments done. He wasn't real happy that he's labeled a fall risk and they only gave him a 4 or 7 foot length of oxygen tubing. Plus all of the IVs and monitor wires, and he's pretty much stuck in bed. I'm taking his pjs to him today. He can at least wear the pants under his gown.

The cat really misses him. After she talked to me and had a late dinner, she laid in his spot on the love seat with her paw on his hat. I'll see if I can figure out how to download the picture to the computer to show you. If it's here I did it, if not...sorry about that.

We don't know how long he'll be in. His white count had gone up even further after we got there. The hospitalist thought through the week-end. I think most of the week. Of course this is about the worst week for this. I see the gastro doctor about my throat Thursday. The good part of that is that I will probably already be in Memphis. I also have to get my military ID renewed. They have a new system where the sponsor doesn't have to accompany you, as long as you filled out the paperwork online. That serves as his electronic signature. So I did that and they went to the Armory in Dyersburg, TN only to find that they were having annual training and the office was closed. Explains why I just kept getting voice mail! So, I may take the long way to the hospital Monday or Tuesday and head there early in the morning and they go on down to Memphis. I need to check their working hours to see just how early I can go.

So, there you have it. It was an extremely long day yesterday and an incredibly short night. Another bright spot through it all...no hives! So, the klonopin was working and keeping my anxiety level down. Let's hope it works as well today. I'll probably update this more until he's home, so just keep checking back. Good thoughts and prayers will definitely be appreciated!

There won't be a picture because I have to download an app on both my phone and computer. I don't want to use Google+ so until I figure out another way, it will have to wait. Sorry about that!