Monday Evening

The latest news is that Scott has had a bit of a setback. He has developed some sort of deal where muscles start dissolving and release stuff into the blood stream that will significantly damage kidneys and a lot of other stuff. They think they have control of it and are working to turn things around.

While he is desperate to come home, the situation is serious so he is definitely going to be in a couple of more days and most likely longer than that. As you can see, he is now able to work his phone and do stuff and he has his iPad so that helps a little bit from the morale standpoint.

For now, despite the strain on the hospital from the pandemic, they are trying to let visitors see non COVID 19 patients from 3-5 each day. This means that, for now, I can get in there and see him each day. That helps a lot as his deal is very complicated and he is upset and overwhelmed.

And, yes, he is not masked for three reasons. Per their protocols as he is in his own room, he does not need to be masked. They also do not want him masked as they need to see his lips and the area right around them as some changes in change or color could happen there before the blood work showed it. A face shield would let air leak around it anyway so they do not do that. They also need to see him speak as, until today, he was slurring his words.

Does it all make sense? No. Since early March before the official lock down, we did everything we possible could to avoid exposure. Now, since Thursday, we both have had emergency situations which have resulted in our having to be in the worst possible environment for exposure: a hospital. I am worried about it, but we had no choice.

Sunday Evening

Sorry this update is so late, but I took another fall when I came in from the hospital and that kind of set everything back. I do not know if this is one of those falling spells I do or something else. I am very tired of it. I a, a bit banged up right now.

Scott is doing a bit better. He has been moved out of ICU and up to the fourth floor where there is telemetry monitoring. They are continuing to watch his heart and blood pressure as well as his kidney function. They continue to be giving him shots to prevent blood clots as well as seizures. They think they can start dialing that back a little IF his current lab work trends continue. He does seem to be more aware  of  his surroundings. So, I think he is on the right track at this point.

I very much appreciate all  the thoughts, prayers, and expressions of support and he does too. I  am sorry I have not been able to reply to everyone here  or elsewhere, but, right now, I am pretty worn out, in pain, and sick, and trying to cope with everything. I used to be able to handle a lot of simultaneous stuff when Sandi was still here with us. Since then, I have not been able to do so.

I have brought this up to a couple of  the nurses that were working on me Friday evening as well as a couple of ones that were treating Scott. I was told that it is not at all uncommon and is probably a direct result of grief over Sandi. More than one stressed to me that massive grief does not have an end point that I have to find a  way of  dealing with it and  need to get some help once I start feeling better and up to it. They also think that even though my normal nature is  to self isolate, being forced by the pandemic to do so as well is not helping either one of  us. The fact that I am high risk and stressed by news reports is also not helpful.

Anyway, that is what I know to this point. I am hoping we keep power on tonight and I get a better night of sleep. When I rolled out to the hospital, I saw numerous power crews scattered across the area as I made the fifteen minute drive over to the hospital. Many of those crews were still working at their same spots when I came back. Tonight I continue to see flashing lights from crews as they drive by the house. I think we were very lucky to get power back as quick as we did.

Sunday Morning

It has an unpleasant night. Around 3:45 AM we lost power. The whole area was dark as the wond blew very hard. I figured out, thanks to my iPad that a collapsing storm line was throwing massive winds and that was what had taken down us as well as many other folks across the area. I did the reporting thing and we finally came on about 6:40. So, I guess the fridge should be okay.

In the course of the darkness, I fell twice. So, the normal back and leg pain I have is way worse this morning and my neck is sore as heck. Once was on the hallway of the house. The other was when I was out in the yard around 4:30 when I was worried that the line from the ally to the house might have gone down. I can report that 6 year old carpeting is slightly softer to land on than wed covered dry ground. 

The antibiotics continue t work me over, but, I think they are doing what they need to be doing. At least I hope so. I am spending almost all my time in bed watching tv. I am a mess and just physically can not do much right now. Going down to  the hospital yesterday just wiped me out.

As to Scott.....I do not know anything from this morning as ICU is way too busy to update me. When I was in the ER with him Thursday night and again for me Saturday night, there was a constant stream of calls of Code Blue (cardiac arrest) and various room numbers in ICU. It happens every few minutes. Nearly all of the calls are COVID-19 patients they try desperately to bring back. It was not quite as bad yesterday when I was allowed in to see him, but pretty close to it. 

I last talked to him around 10 last night and they were letting him have a little snack of juice and jello. He was a little more alert, but not by much. He pretty much does not remember anything from around midnight Thursday to sometime yesterday morning. He is in tremendous pain from having the seizure which the Fire Department paramedics estimate lasted at least 18 minutes. That is count from my call to 911 when I found him to when, after they had been here several minutes, they could get him to respond as he was still in seizure when they arrived. He calls it being worked over with a baseball bat.

At this point, we still do not know why it happened. We do know that almost everything was way out of whack body chemistry wise. The MRI ruled out anything abnormal like my big fear--cancer--and some otehr stuff. They have a kidney specialists involved now as there is concern there is something wrong there. More tests are planned, but I do not know when. 

While he is more alert, as of yesterday, they were seeing things  that gave them concern that he could have a second seizure or even a stroke. I won't bore with all of it, but basically there are still body chemistry issues that are arising as they try to make things normal and  his heart rate and BP are doing funky things. So, more worry there.

Just want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support. I have not bee up to trying and write everyone personally back, but know it is very much appreciated. Scott appreciates it too. 

Blog Hiatus

Scott had a seizure  around 1:30 AM this morning and is currently in a local hospital ICU. Tests are being run and I know very little so far. I was sent home around 7:30 this morning over concerns about me.  I can not be with him due to Covid though  I was allowed in the ER as he was very combative and they needed me to help.

More as I know it.


12:44 AM Update..... I do not know much more other than, as of around three, he was pretty much the same. They were keeping him heavily sedated as he fights them and they continue to push fluids into him. The MRI supposedly came  back clean which means he did not stroke or something like that and does NOT have my biggest fear, cancer.

I do not know much as it is chaos there. Just spent the evening in the same ER for me. I have IBS and have had it for decades, It comes and  goes and stress is bad for it. So much of today was spent in the bathroom. I tried to eat a little but around 6 tonight and shortly afterwards things started escalating in very strange ways. I knew something was wrong and after last night, I had a fear that I could have a seizure and die here all alone. So, I called and the paramedics came and got me. Fluids were put in me, tests were run, and long story short, I have a huge infection going on in my colon. Fairly serious one and one that has been working away for awhile now and I just thought it was grief and stress flaring the IBS. So, antibiotics in an IV drip and three prescriptions to get filled tomorrow.

I am home, showered, both my bp meds are in me, and in my own bed. Hopefully, tomorrow will go a little better.

I just spent the evening in ER for me. I have IBS and things started escalating in a weird way so I called and got taken to the same hospital. After tests, it seems I have a major infection going on in my Colon on top of everything and have probably been dealing with a month now. Fluids, antibiotics, and my own bed for the night.



Update 1:30 PM Saturday... I have my meds and am taking them. First round at home of that has been a bit rough. I have talked to the hospital and Scott is the same as he has been. The body chemistry is closer to normal and he is consciousness, but he is very out of it. How much of that is the meds and how much is something else we do not know. They are monitoring his heart and there have been serious heart rate issues which may be a result of all  he has been through or some new problem. 

They will let me in to see him today between 3 and 5 as he is not Covid. So, I am going to try and pull myself together and go over. 

Thank you everyone for your comments and support. It means more than you know. 

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Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Summertime, All the Cats Are Bored by Philippe Georget (Translator Steven Rendall)

Philippe Georget is a French television anchor and author of five crime novels. His debut, L'été tous les chats s'ennuient, published by Éditions Jigal in 2009, won the SNCF Crime Fiction Prize and the City of Lens First Crime Novel Prize. Summertime, All the Cats Are Bored (Europa Editions, 2013), the first Inspector Gilles Sebag book, was translated from the French by Steven Rendall.

It’s miserably hot on the French Mediterranean coast, as usual during the summer, and Inspector Gilles Sebag is tired of his job. The air conditioner at the Perpignan police headquarters breaks down with depressing frequency. The tedium of tourists and petty crime along with the heat have him sleepwalking through his days. His real interest is his family, and he’s consumed with the realization that his children are growing up. Both of them are spending part of their vacation away from the family for the first time and he misses them dreadfully. In addition, he’s caught his wife Claire, whom he loves deeply, in a lie and he fears she is having an affair. His anxiety is heightened when she decides to go on a cruise alone for part of her vacation, since she has more time off than he does.

Sebag’s mind is nowhere near work when a Dutch girl is found murdered on a beach. Then another Dutch girl disappears. Still a few days later a third Dutch girl is attacked with a knife during a failed kidnapping. The belief that a local serial killer has singled out Dutch tourists for his attentions has caused a slick Paris cop to be assigned to the force to serve as liaison between the police on the ground and the French authorities in touch with the Dutch police. Sebag despises him on sight and the feeling is mutual. The investigations flounder while leads dissolve one after another. Sebag is singled out by the kidnapper to receive a series of taunting messages, and his management wonders why. The team follows thorough but plodding police procedures with some success but it’s Sebag’s instincts that finally get them a true break.

The book is labelled noir but Sebag is far from the average noir character. He dislikes guns, doesn’t carry one unless he has to, and has to think to remember where he put his service weapon. He runs marathons; his practice sessions give Georget frequent reasons to describe the picturesque scenery of southern France. He enjoys housework. He feels great compassion for those caught on the wrong side of the law. The typical detective of crime fiction he is not.

I bought this book for its title and was rewarded with a fine police procedural. Intricate and well-executed plot; gorgeous writing, for which the translator must take some credit; great behind-the-scenes look at the operations of an investigative law enforcement team; powerful sense of place. A really good book!

Starred review from Publishers Weekly and a PW Pick.

·         File Size: 1077 KB

·         Print Length: 429 pages

·         Publisher: Europa Editions; Reprint edition (July 2, 2013)

·         Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.