Bad Week-end

On Wednesday, Tom had his test for the pump to be installed that delivers anti-spasm medication. This involves putting a needle into the spinal fluid (basically a spinal tap). A person should not sit upright for several hours after having this procedure, to prevent headaches.
The test went OK, but did not yield the results that we were hoping for.
Tom's leg spasms, which are unexpected jerks, were helped by the test and so should be helped if the pump in put in him. His worst complaint, however, is the increasing tightness in his chest and back, which ffles like someone is squeezing his chest and there's a bowling ball pushing at his back between the shoulder blades.
This is not super painful for him, but it makes it extremely difficult for him to breathe and it keeps him awake and squirming every night. We are getting less and less sleep each night. Sleeping pills make him looney and talk in his sleep and argue with me in his sleep. (I try to convince him that whatever he thinks is happening is really a dream.) He squirms almost all night, wrestling with the covers, trying to move his legs or calling me to straighten or bend them, sometimes right after I just did them. The loss of sleep is getting to us.

He got sick on Thursday with a urinary tract infection. We came home for the week-end. He started throwing up on Saturday, particularly when he was sitting up. This is possibly a sign of a complication from the spinal tap. He was still throwing up on Sunday. (I had parties to conduct on both days and had to leave him at home with other people to tend to him while he was sick.) It might also have been a reaction to the new medication for the UTI. Or maybe another complication from the pump test. who knows??

Monday he was still sick-ish so we did not go back up to the Shepherd Center for his day program. Tuesday (today) I thought he was getting better in the morning, but is back to being puny this evening. Can't breathe thru his nose and having headache and nausea when sitting up/can't breathe thru mouth and having to suffer the extreme tightness in his chest when lying down. It's gonna be a bad night again, I can tell.....

Tomorrow, (Wed.) we have got to get back up to Shepherd--the doctor really wants to see Tom in his office. Fortunately, Glenn, our handicapped friend who drives us up there, is willing to take us Wed. morning. We're praying that he'll feel better tomorrow. And that we'll get some sleep tonight.

Thanks for all your prayers, money, meals, yard clean up, and support....

Michele