In which I am forced into hiatus by illness

I've been sick for a few weeks now, and it culminated in 2 days at the hospital for dehydration. Was this caused by my surgery? The GI doctor says "not exactly," as he thinks I have a bacterial infection. However, my surgery does make me prone to bacterial infections. So... maybe?

Fun things I go to do while in the hospital:

• Stay in a 24-hour unit, which for me meant a windowless room on a windowless hall of the hospital, which had a toilet right next to the bed, disguised as a chair. I stared at it, and wondered who came up with such a feat of engineering.
  
• Give three stool samples per day. Three. Every day. In a cup.
  
• Have a colonoscopy.
  
• During the colonoscopy, got Propofol as my anesthetic. Propofol, you may remember, is the Michael Jackson drug! And I have to say: FAIL. First of all, it burned as it went through my IV. Second of all, I didn't even dream! Third, it was over so quickly. I had Dilaudid after my surgery; I'd take that over Propofol any day.
  

I send a big thank you to my friends Leigh, Marianne, and Leslie for visiting me while I was there, and Emily for talking to me on the phone for hours. Leigh brought me food -- and watched my kids on Monday all day long while I was at the doctor and being admitted! Marianne brought me books and let me use her iPhone. Leslie brought me gum (since I was NPO for the colonoscopy by the time she arrived) and took me on a walk outside.

Once again: I have good friends. Actually I have great friends. I appreciate all of them.

Prior to my illness, I spent four days in Child Passenger Safety class, which culminated in the following initials behind my name: CPST. Child Passenger Safety Technician. It was long, somewhat interesting, and I'm glad I can now check car seats for proper install. My friend Joanna told me that I would learn more about seat belts than I ever thought possible.



She was right. I learned about the mechanism behind seat belts; what part of the belt keeps the child safe; how to add or change things to make the seat safest for the child. I'm still a little confused in my head about ALR, ELR, Switchable, and types of locking mechanisms. Luckily, I have a thick CPS book to help me, as well as the seat manufacturers and the car manufacturers to call if I need help. I was in class with six people who worked for Britax, as their company is here in Charlotte. Three engineers and three customer service reps. And several police officers and firemen.

I'm feeling better now, but definitely not back to 100%. I'm glad not to have anyone due as far as doula clients for a few months. Leigh has someone due but if I'm not feeling up to it, she will ask someone else to help. Also, I'm having some babysitter trouble. During the birth in which I wore uncomfortable pants, I had called my kids' typical sitter for help, and she was unavailable. I pay her to be on-call for me. I was not happy with the situation. I have begun looking at other options in case this doesn't work out.