In the Hospital

Last Sunday Joshua had a headache and was vomiting. He went to the doctor Sunday evening and then to the hospital* on Monday where he was diagnosed with meningitis. I stayed with Karlien and Fergs' kids that evening and we all said prayers for Joshua. Tuesday we learned that it was thankfully the viral kind of meningitis (not as dangerous as the bacterial) and it wasn't even a very serious strain of the viral. I sat with Joshua all day on Tuesday and by the afternoon he was doing the robot dance in the hospital room.

Joshua and Fergusson on Tuesday morning. Fergs is in the chair he slept in the previous night. Joshua is talking with Ami on the phone. She stayed up all night praying for him.
Gwennie crashed in Joshua's hospital bed while she was waiting to be admitted for the same symptoms (took about 8 hours). She was not happy to be there, but I got this smile by asking her to show me her 'snowman hand'.

The nurse removing the IV from Joshua. The boy in the background was also discharged this day and we had a lot of fun with him. He was in for complications with his asthma.
Gordon was admitted on Wednesday. His food had been running through him since last Friday. I stayed with him Wednesday overnight and half of Thursday. The poor guy is not himself yet. In this picture he's sitting in the chair I slept in. Not that we needed anymore proof that I can sleep anywhere, but the fact that I managed about six hours in this hospital room with two other moms and babies and carpet that smelled of vomit is pretty good evidence I think.
All in all it was a great experience at the hospital. I found the doctors and nurses to be caring and knowledgeable and with great bedside manner. Some of the patients, on the other hand, were another story. On several occasions I had to get nasty with patients wandering around the ward ("Don't touch my baby!").

*Hottentots Holland Hospital (HHH) in Somerset West. The nearest state-run hospital, about 25 minutes from Grabouw.