When I posted on Jan 25 about my husband being admitted to the hospital during the previous night, I had no idea we would still be there 12 days later. Finally today he came home much improved. He had two CT scans, an MRI, a Colonoscopy, daily blood work, IV fluids and IV electrolyte replacement—and yet no definitive diagnosis for his diarrhea, except that there was some infectious process going on. He did have some biopsies taken during the colonoscopy to check for Microscopic Colitis, but results are pending. I spent the major portion of every day at the hospital because at first my husband was too sick to know what was going on and even when he is feeling well, bright as he is, he doesn’t have a good understanding of medical care. I have used up all my adrenalin and today which should have been a big relief turned into a stress fest. It snowed all morning so while I was running necessary errands related to my husband as well as my mother, I had to clear snow off the car at each stop, seven times! When I got to the pharmacy to pick up my husband’s meds and they said it would be awhile, maybe half an hour, I almost started crying. All I wanted was to get home. And when I did, my husband, who I had dropped at home earlier, pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and showed me the IV the nurse had forgotten to remove. So back to the hospital. Then back at home my husband broke a ceramic soap dish in the bathroom and you know that meant a thorough floor cleaning. Now my son who lives in a metro area that is currently being blanketed with the snow we had this morning has been calling asking us to check road and traffic conditions—he’s been on the road three hours and he isn’t even half way home on a trip that normally takes half an hour. Part of the stress is all that must be tended to, but even more for me is the overstimulation of all the people and vigilant interactions that have been filling my days.