Mom in ICU

Mom's sedated and hooked up to a mess of IV saline bags. She's got a urinary catheter and is breathing with the aid of a ventilator. I felt her feet and her hands; her extremities were cold, so cold.

She was still wearing her helmet, and her face was swollen. She's got an arterial line stuck in her neck, and various other needles in her wrists. The sight of Mom lying there... well, it's the most pitiful thing I've ever seen.

The docs are planning on doing a slew of bacterial cultures, a lumbar puncture, and other tests to rule out what's going on with Mom. If they're doing cultures, it's likely they'll need to keep Mom at least 24 hours, which means that we might be staying in New York until Thursday-- maybe longer.

I've heard some talk that people might stabilize Mom and then transport her back to Fairfax Hospital in northern Virginia. It's just a thought at this point. Since no one knows for sure what's going on with Mom, everything's up in the air.


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