Back in the Hospital

Before her surgery Beth was told that her recovery would be long and difficult, and that's proving to be true. After the nurse set up all the home equipment, she trained Steve to take over the nursing duties and said she would be coming back weekly to check on Beth. Meanwhile, Beth struggled to get comfortable while battling nausea and the pressure created by the excess fluid. She wasn't able to do much of anything except watch a little television. She managed to get one good night of sleep, but she tossed and turned the other nights. Yesterday evening Steve called the City of Hope's 24-hour nursing hotline because Beth's blood pressure and pulse shot up significantly. They instructed him to bring her to the hospital. After hanging up, the hospital called back a few minutes later and told Steve that Beth was in danger of having a stroke and instructed him to call 911 to get her to the nearest hospital. Me-Mom took the kids to get an ice cream, and once they had left Steve called 911. The paramedics arrived and agreed that Beth's blood pressure was high. In the emergency room the doctors did a scan and then removed three containers of fluid from her. They told Steve that they couldn't remove more because it would be too much of a shock to Beth's body. She needed to be admitted, and Steve decided that she should be taken to the City of Hope. Beth was driven by ambulance back to where she started. Steve stayed with her until about 4 a.m. and then made his way home so he could be there when the kids woke up. He'll be back at the hospital later this morning. I'll pass along more information as it comes in. Keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming.