I backdated this to keep it in sequence but truth is we didn’t get home until 12:45 Saturday morning. I am writing as if it is Friday so I can keep my story straight. Bill got in a bad way yesterday afternoon. Unbeknownst to me, he started having problems around three in the morning. He didn’t say anything to me until four in the afternoon after calling Mike to tell him he wouldn’t be able to go with him on their planned Saturday outing.
And so yesterday began for me in the usual manner. Got to bed late, slept late. Did the coffee and email routine. I got back to “work” at a reasonable point in the morning and decided to do one more Autumn Dangler. I figured it would be a snap now that I knew how to do it. Bill left to do errands at 11, and then Nadine called and came over. We had some things to give each other before she heads off to Oklahoma next Tuesday.
She had time to stay for a cup of tea and visit a bit so we were still doing that when Bill got back home. We sent Nadine home with some chanterelle mushrooms to try. After lunch, I started cleaning mushrooms and when Bill finished his lunch, he cleaned what was left and put them on to simmer and cook the water out of them before freezing.
Meantime, I got back to my Autumn Dangler. I was only on the first leaf when Nadine arrived, so I still basically had the whole thing left to do and mid-afternoon was descending upon me! I heard Bill on the phone with Mike and that was my first knowledge that something was amiss. I heard him tell Mike “Carol is in the back and I haven’t told her yet.” When he was done talking to Mike he came and told me he cancelled on their Saturday plans because he thought he was coming down with something.
I finally finished the dangler. It was five by then so I figured I had time to do at least one of the two remaining burp clothes. I wrapped up in the back around six and when I came out here, Bill wanted me to check his blood pressure and take his temperature. Both were fine but he didn’t look fine! I proceeded to fix myself something to eat. Bill wasn’t eating and was looking less and less well by the minute. When I was done with everything an hour later, I rechecked his vitals. His blood pressure was still ok, but his pulse had increased 12 points and his temperature had gone from 97.6 to 101° and he looked awful. I told him he needed to call the VA. He wasn’t even up to doing that so I called the Telehealth and wound up with someone in Dayton, Ohio! When I finally worked my way through the menu and an operator to the Triage Nurse, I explained the problem as I knew it. Then I spent 15 minutes or more answering questions. After half an hour had passed, he told me to get him to the hospital within the next two hours.
So we got our ducks in a row and left here about eight o’clock. I managed to remember to set the alarm and lock the door! I must point out that despite how sick Bill was he was still quite capable of backseat (or rather front seat) driving! When I jokingly put my hand over his mouth he said, “Don’t take your hand off the steering wheel when you’re going around a curve.” So I told him to close his eyes! I should have said, “And why do you think I knit when I ride with you.” 
It took us close to an hour to get to VA Urgent Care. Despite his dizziness, Bill was able to make it in from the car and there was no waiting line when we got inside. The nurse got to him right away, taking all the pertinent information. His temperature was back down, so I have NO idea what caused it to spike. But it did because when we left home, he was nearly freezing. The blood pressure and pulse were about the same.
We were moved to a room in Urgent Care and another nurse soon appeared to ask more questions. We answered all those and she left to see what the doctor wanted to do. I don’t remember if the doctor appeared next or what, but when he did his diagnosis without any lab tests was dehydration. The male nurse reappeared and inserted a heplock in his arm to draw some blood. As Bill is telling him how last year they could hardly get enough blood out of him for the lab work, the nurse gets into the vein and next thing we know blood is spurting all over everywhere. No shortage of blood this time around – it was on the floor, on both of Bill’s arms and his pants, and a big puddle soaked into the paper on the exam bed!!! As the nurse finished filling the five or so lab vials and was attempting to close off the heplock, the female nurse returned with a sodium chloride IV and took the heplock out of the other nurse’s hand to hook it up. Then the male nurse (who said he usually works in ER, not Urgent Care!) went in search of rags to clean up the mess.
Bill was still perched on the exam table and his back was hurting him. When the male nurse reappeared, he asked if he could sit in one of the chairs. That was fine as long as I moved over to the one with the wheels so Bill didn’t wind up pitching off onto the floor or some such. I kidded the nurse that it must be ok if I pitch off onto the floor. We all chuckled as he assured me that wasn’t the case, merely that I looked more stable than Bill. 
So we settled in while the IV dripped. Bill asked for some water which they gave him. Of course I had been knitting since we arrived. I’ve done this “leave home at the drop of a hat routine” enough times to know the drill and not leave home without the IMPORTANT stuff. So I knit along on that thermal baby afghan which the female nurse said was cute when she first came in.
Somewhere in the middle of the IV we realized it was going on eleven already. Bill began to feel a little better as he got some fluids in him, although he had been drinking juice along all day. Eventually the door reappeared and said his lab tests were all fine and he again said he was apparently just dehydrated as a result of meds he is on. He told him he needs to consume more fluids to balance it out. As the female nurse gave the discharge orders, she told him “by fluids I mean water.” So in her mind the various juices don’t count as fluids apparently.
I got us back home safe and sound with minimal assistance from the “coach.” It was 12:45 by time we were inside and locked up for the night. It didn’t take long for either one of us to hit the sack, although it was no later than I’ve been getting to bed lately. I read and dozed and finally turned off the light after two o’clock. I think Bill was up several times during the night but I didn’t get any distress calls.
And thus, an evening where I “planned to eat dinner, write the journal and watch a movie” took a different course. That fits right in with today’s “thought.”
If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. – NBC News Anchor John Chancellor
Hi Diane. Was finally able to get out cyberwalking again and wanted to check on you and see what you were up to ... 
Hi Carol, I get a "lump in my chest" reading your thoughts that you share .. thanks for reminding us how life is a 
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