Francine, my Love

Immediately following the great Vigil of Easter, my beautiful bride Francine was admitted to Tacoma General Hospital. Symptoms were increasing mental confusion and physical weakness. She had recently suffered a bout of walking pneumonia, and during those days she was physically weak and had some small moments of forgetfulness and not being able to find words. We attributed it to the healing process and the strong antibiotics she was given. Some physical and mental weakness are not atypical in these kinds of recovery.

On Good Friday, the symptoms got worse, and we resolved to go back to the clinic on Monday. By Saturday afternoon, she had become increasingly confused and frail, so our friend Laura drove us to the ER at midnight, as Saturday turned into Easter Sunday.

She was admitted straight away.

They’ve run a bazillion tests. So far we’ve had x-rays, CT scans, an MRI brain scan, and who knows what else. Just this morning it was a sonogram of her heart. So far there is no firm diagnosis.

She’s been told to avoid too much visual stimulation, so there are no screens and we’ve generally kept the lights low.
Through most of yesterday, she was not entirely coherent. This morning, after an actual night’s sleep, she’s much more her old self, making jokes with the nurses. She did much better on the short cognitive tests they gave her this morning, though she still sometimes has trouble finding the right words, and her memory, particularly her short-term memory, is sometimes confused.

We prayed Vespers together last night, and Lauds this morning, and she has no trouble remembering the small Latin parts we typically pray from memory. This morning, we sang the Pater Noster.

We’ve had some family and friends visit, and we’re expecting our pastor to drop by this morning to celebrate the Anointing of the Sick.

In your mercy, please pray for her recovery, and pray for her doctors and nurses.