bacterial blues
i'm reaching across, w/ my left hand, to type, cradling Imogen in my right. We're in the hospital -- the little one has a bacterial infection that needs IV antibiotics. She's stuck in here for 2 weeks at minimum. Theresa has been spending nights in a pull-out chair, next to Iggy's enormous chrome-plated cage of a crib.
For all that, the wee one is blessedly calm, eating well, and mostly sleeping well too, though she naturally wants to be held much of the time.
The worst right now was/is the spinal tap, to make sure the microbes haven't spread to the cord fluid. Yesterday's was both harrowing to watch and unsuccesful --they couldn't get a clean draw, and will have to try again today. We're dreading that. If that comes up positive, we're here for yet another week of treatment.
Our doctor, who is as always one of the most impressive people i've ever met, is pretty confident that the treatment is going to go smoothly. Imogen's not running any high fevers now or seeming more than expectably fussy. Still, it's a very scary experience, and the endurance angle for the one who stays night after night with her -- sure to be Theresa in the main -- is daunting to contemplate.
Oh, and we were looking forward to a week out of town starting the 21st. That's by the wayside now -- the least of the unwelcome consequences, but still rankling...
UPDATE 3:40 P.M.: They were able to get a clean draw on the re-try of the spinal tap. That, unfortunately, takes 72 hours to fully culture; when it does, we should know if Imogen's in the hospital for three weeks, or merely two.