Menengitis!

When I last wrote, I was hoping to go to bed, sleep away the pain and awaken feeling better the next morning. That didn't happen. After only an hour or so, I woke Richard up and had him take me to the ER. I was in so much pain I could not hold still. I must have looked awful because I was taken to a room immediately and placed in isolation.

The spinal tap confirmed I had menengitis, but in addition to the expected head, neck and back pain, my legs were in agony. Not crampy, but as if the muscles were literally being torn apart. Mercifully, they put me under, just below the conscious level. I was in and out of it until Monday when I began to feel dramatically better. Folks were obviously praying!

I was then moved out of ICU into an isolation room on a medical floor. By then I only needed traditional pain managemet meds and by Tuesday afternoon, I was off drugs altogether except for the massive doses of IV antibiotics flowing into my one good vein.

That vein was a specific answer to prayer. I have awful veins, so I had prayed on the way to the hospital, "Lord, please let me have one good vein..." And it was a fantastic vein that held up to a large bore canula. Never before had that vein behaved thus. My arms are covered with bruises where the nurses had tried to tap my pitiful venous system for blood samples to test. But the "one good vein" held strong throughout my hospital stay, and the nurse and I rejoiced and enthusiastically praised the Lord as she removed the canula when I prepared to depart for home.

I met several great believers in the hospital and was able to pray and praise God with them. There was no Bible in my quaranteened quarters, so one aide went on a Bible quest returning with a brand new Gideon King James Version Bible, bright red and positively beautiful. I was having some trouble seing so Richard read to me. I love his voice and it's even better filled with the Word.

So, I am home and full of joy. God has brought healing and now I just need to regain my strength. To protect me from picking up any bugs in my weakened condition, I am supposed to "be a hermit" for the next two weeks, so will miss church this week and next... but when I do go, it will be in our new church building. I can't wait... but I will.

Richard knows me so well and realizing I feel really cooped up, invited me to go for a drive. We never left the car, but drove along back roads until neither of us knew where we were or had been. It was a great diversion. The air was fresh and clear with just a slight breeze. The car seemed to float along the byways we found and we just enjoyed chatting and being alive together. A great day!