daughter update

(Now that I've had some sleep and can piece the English language back together.)

They moved her out of ICU yesterday morning and into the wing for people recovering from injuries/surgery. She has a 20-year-old roommate who's recovering from some kind of surgery, but DD is so far just on complete bed rest. They gave her another ultrasound yesterday morning and found still some blood between her liver and spleen, but it wasn't any more than the day before, which they said was a good sign. (More would be a sign of continued bleeding.) But they have to do another one today and keep an eye on her, because the spleen can absorb blood over several days like a sponge and then tear, which would be bad. However, when the doctor did a poking exam last night, it not only didn't hurt, it even tickled. Technically they have to still check her for a concussion until tonight, but once she was relaxed enough to explain what happened, DD clarified that her head doesn't and didn't ever hurt, and that the only thing she hit it on was sand as she rolled down the hill. I'm glad they're keeping an eye on that, but I admit I'm a little irritated that the many phalanxes of medical personnel don't bother to read up on her before they come in and start shooting orders. All day I'm hearing, head's a formality, nothing wrong there, keep her utterly still so her tummy can mend. DD is an active kid, so that's tricky! I got her an alphabet workbook with a number of color by letter activities, and last night a new nurse comes in. "Don't let her be coloring for so long! All that reading and cognitive activity will damage her brain and she'll get those headaches back!" (So...we just tell a normal 5-year-old that her job for days on end is to stare at the opposite wall??) I admit I was too tired to be as tactful as I could have been, but hopefully that nurse's shift will be over by the time I go back this morning. I'm glad they're checking her for a concussion, but every single person who's actually examined her has said that isn't a problem.

Anyway, it looks like she'll be there at least until tomorrow. (That's when she'll be in the clear to go back to "dangerous activities" like coloring.) I'm betting she stays a little longer for the innards, though. I looked up spleen injuries on line, and even in the send-the-patient-home-after-two-hours US, they keep you in a hospital bed for a week. But thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I told my daughter that all my writing friends were praying for her and she felt pretty happy about that--and she does seem to be feeling better, too. And last night she was perfectly okay with me going home to sleep, as opposed to the night before, when she was terrified. (A long time ago she asked me why newborns and their parents had ID tags on them in the hospital, and I explained it was to make sure the babies didn't get mixed up in the hospital, and that no one took home a baby that wasn' t theirs. I think that's the background behind her comment yesterday morning. I asked if she was okay overnight, meaning, were you in pain and did you get help, and she said matter-of-factly, "I was okay, Mom. Nobody stole me." I think we got that one clarified.)

Thanks so much for the thoughts and prayers.

daughter update, plus author conversation link

Thanks so much for all the well wishes. My daughter feels so happy to know that so many children's writers are praying for her! She's feeling much better and had her normal smile on today, and as long as she's sitting in bed is feeling good. She's sore when she walks down the hall to the bathroom, though. She's got an additional roommate, a 13-year-old who has pins in her foot thanks to her brand-new BMX bike. It's a nice group of people in the room, and I think my daughter feels better knowing there are others around. She's never liked sleeping alone in a room. (An aside: most of the nurses are female, but today there was a young, rather good-looking guy nurse, and it was extremely entertaining watching patient responses.) (Another aside: the night we went in and they moved DD from one clinic to another via underground tunnels, I couldn't help thinking how easy it is to set a vampire story in a hospital. Think of Vlad Tod's aunt swiping expired blood bags, or Carlisle Cullen changing someone in a dark corner of a tunnel...definitely an effective setting!)

Anyway, the ultrasound this afternoon showed no more bleeding, and she's cleared also on concussion charges. The night nurse is of the opinion that she's going home tomorrow, but I've noticed that with every shift change, the stories vary dramatically, so we'll see in the morning. Yes, she still needs utter bed rest, but as long as she's just lying down, she might as well do it in her own bed, where she can eat real food (dry bread is as good as it gets in German hospitals--I realize they may be controlling her diet, since we're talking digestive track, but the others don't get much, either). Hopefully the night nurse is right and she comes home tomorrow, but we'll see.

Totally different subject, but if any of you like Shannon Hale or Megan Whalen Turner, Shannon has a three-part interview/e-mail conversation with MWT on her web site right now. (She's at part 2 of 3.) I especially liked the story of Shannon, the professor, and the bookseller. Made me laugh--and made me want to tear my hair out, too.  Um, yeah. Shannon's "sort of famous."