Darlene

[Guest guest]

I saw the message from Carlena. I was sorry to have missed her. Darlene's husband gave me permission to share information about her condition. She is still unconscious, but the doctors expect her to wake up soon. When she had to be put on a ventilator, they sedated her heavily to that she wouldn't fight the ventilator. She has been breathing "over the ventilator" for the last couple of days; in other words breathing well enough on her own. They turned the ventilator down & stopped the sedation. When she is awake enough, they will turn the ventilator off & pull the tube out. She will still have to fight off the infection, but at least will be breathing on her own & able to communicate with her family. One of them is with her at all times; the others take turns going to a daughter's nearby home to sleep, etc.

I gave Darlene a gentle hug from all of us & told her that I had delivered one of Tracie's magical cyber blankets. I told her to hurry up & get better because the rest of us (we?) moderators were tired of doing her work. I'm not sure when I'll be going back to Methodist; depends on my lab results. If Darlene is still there, I'll go visit again.

There was a kind of funny story about the visit. I went to the information desk & asked for Darlene Arney's room. The guy looked it up in the computer & said he didn't have a Darlene; could she be under another name? I just know her as Darlene, which is actually her middle name. He asked if I knew her husband's name, which I couldn't remember. So he wrote down a room # & said he hoped it was the right person. I trudged away down the hall & up the elevator, down another hall & came to the Critical Care Unit. Aha, I thought. I went to the front desk, but nobody was there. There was a visitor log with the room #s & first names. Judith was listed for the room # I had. I didn't want to want into the wrong room, especially with patients this sick. Then a staff person came up & asked if I needed help & I explained. While she was saying she would check it out, I heard a man say, "Arney? You're looking for Arney?" That was ! He just happened to walk by just then. I told him I was Rose from the NS group & he gave me a big hug, then took me into her room. We had a very nice visit. I had brought 2 cards, one for Darlene & one for the family. They seem like a very devoted family.

Well, I'll get back on here later today & try to catch up on y'all's lives & tell you about the latest installment in the acclaimed miniseries "Ramblin' Rose & the Health Care System." Remember this is a horror story with comedic elements, so don't read it if you are easily frightened! Or don't like to laugh. Later, amigos & amigas.

Ramblin' Rose

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