Ryan was diagnosed with C Diff today which is a real bummer.  It’s a highly contagious infection in the GI tract causing very smelly diarrhea, cramps, sometimes fever, weight loss, decreased appetite.  It’s not a diagnosis I expected even though he’s been on antibiotics for a cecostomy infection.  And it can be very difficult to treat.  It’s often found in nursing homes where it’s easy to transmit because people share bathrooms, don’t wash their hands, etc because it’s very easily transmitted from person to person.  You also see it in hospitals a lot too where people often catch it, and I dealt with it a lot when I worked on the floor.

Yesterday Sidney, Ryan and I got to his room around 3:30 after only two hours in the ER.  He was pretty miserable but was able to get some much needed sleep.  Sidney and I didn’t sleep much at all last night because the nurse kept coming in to hang IV meds.  We were able to switch three of his seizure meds over to IV but they also gave him Zofran and Ativan so there were five IV meds to hang and they all had to be done separately.  So by the time they were all infused, it was almost 1 am and we hadn’t really slept.  Then in the middle of the night the nurse was back in a couple times for a beeping pump and to change his IV fluids.  Then before we knew it, shift change came and there was no going back to sleep.  So Sidney and I will be going to bed very early tonight.  She has officially been introduced to the fun of being hospitalized.  It’s much different to endure all the interruptions during the night than to just come visit for an hour or two.

Ryan was pretty cranky this morning and growled at everyone who came close to him (except for Sidney and me).  He was feeling poorly which is so frustrating because he can’t tell us what’s bothering him.  He did keep two oral meds down with a very small amount of water but we’re talking 1-2 ounces which isn’t enough to get him home and back on his formula boluses.  Travis came up around 11 a.m. and is spending the night.  Before we knew he is positive for C Diff, one of the doctors said maybe he can go home tomorrow if he keeps his feeding down but I’ll be surprised now if that happens. I think they are doing 3 oz Pedialyte through a feeding pump for an hour then giving him an hour to rest then repeating.  So tomorrow I will go to work, get off an hour or two early, drive up to Omaha and Travis will leave to come back down for work.  Then Tuesday he will come up early so I can leave the hospital and go to work again.  If Ryan stays another night, I will have to leave early again Tuesday and drive up to Omaha so Travis can come back to Lincoln to work again.  It’s not ideal, but we can’t take off work ever time something happens with Ryan.  I worry I won’t have any time left if something more serious happens down the road.  It’s very stressful, but our little guy needs us and so we’ll do what we have to do until we can bring him home.

A very big thank you to Kim for the food today.  I can’t tell you what a blessing it was to have the kids fed after church and have dinner for tomorrow night when neither Travis or I will probably be home. You are truly the most generous person I have ever met and it is a privilege to count you as a friend!

Please pray with us for Ryan’s body to heal quickly from this C Diff and for his stomach to digest and empty as it should.  This infection has the potential to be a really difficult thing to treat and the thought just makes me sick.  I know he’s in God’s hands and there is no better place to be.  We appreciate your prayers so very much.