O Glory

Another fairly typical weekend. Segev was with me for 48 hours. All together I slept about 8 hours out of those 48. Saturday Segev intermittently complained and/or cried from eight in the morning until eleven thirty at night. He also vomited, a constant danger since he developed a new kind of cough. 

All manner of treatments were tried for his pain and discomfort, all with only temporary effect if any. I know his body so well and can feel much of what goes on inside his body but this time with little effect. 

Finally I was able to use a complicated manipulation technique, not without its dangers, to release several ribs which were contracted towards each other. Segev has an increasing problem of altered bodily alignment on his right side, affecting neck, shoulder, upper and lower back. The manipulation, an improvised and intuitive combination of traction and counter pressure, worked and he became relaxed and at eleven thirty fell asleep. 

He "woke" a few times from seizures but was definitely able to deepen his slumber and rest for a few hours, waking later several times as usual in order to cough which allows me to hone my jumping-out-of-bed-at-all-hours-to-suction-him-while-I'm-still-asleep technique, turn him over to his other side, change his diaper and give him physio when the inevitable mucus plug prevents him from fully getting air. That last problem rarely escalates into the most frightening thing that can happen to Segev, more so even then when he stopped breathing in his sleep: to see him conscious as his body convulses, violently fighting to take a breath until I can, just as violently, hammer the mucus plug from its stranglehold on his bronchial tube is quite simply, Hell itself.

In the morning, rising early, no possibility for my resting would manifest as instead another exercise in futility received its opportunity: Segev finished a med this morning but, always thinking ahead I had gone on the previous Wednesday to the pharmacy to order that particular one. The holiday started that evening, yet when the pharmacist called the supplying company still early to place the order they did not answer the phone. Wednesday and Thursday were holiday and they bridged Friday (Saturday is the sabbath here). So since they didn't answer the pharmacist's call, the importer via the pharmacist could not tell me until this morning when I went to pick up the drug that they don't have it in stock!  The prescription already having gone through I was fortunate enough to catch the pediatrician in her office and get a new one and after many phone calls find a pharmacy who had stock, which was only a 45 minute drive away, 30 minutes back. All these delays meant I had to miss part of work, two house-calls worth.

I'm sure my landlord will understand.

Speaking of houses, by the way, my next entry will be about that; living conditions.