It’s just like the flu…
It’s just like the flu until you end up in the ER on Christmas Day with an oxygen level of 79 and you are admitted to the hospital…
It’s just like the flu until we have our last conversation in our Facebook messages and we all pray it isn’t the very last time…
It’s just like the flu until Jamie calls and says they are intubating you on 12/27 at 11:21am…
It’s just like the flu until you say “Don’t cry, I’m going to be ok”…
It’s just like the flu until we are told you are “unweanable” at this point on 12/29…
It’s just like the flu until they finally extubate you on 1/10…
It’s just like the flu until I receive a call from Mom that you had to be reintubated with a pulse ox of 40% on 1/12…
It’s just like the flu until we must decide as a family if we should have them put a trach in on 1/13…
It’s just like the flu until you have the surgery to put the trach in on 1/14…
It’s just like the flu until you have a pneumothorax requiring a chest tube on 1/27…
It’s just like the flu until you are moved to a rehab hospital two hours from home on 1/31…
It’s just like the flu until Jamie is sleeping in the truck so she can be near you…
It’s just like the flu until your kids are taking care of each other and the house by themselves…
It’s just like the flu until you are finally off the vent, hopefully for good, on 2/2.
It’s just like the flu until you are confused and want Mom to take you home so she can take care of you…
It’s just like the flu until you are sent to an intensive rehab facility closer to home on 2/14 to fix all of the things that go wrong from lying in bed for weeks…
It’s just like the flu until you are discharged home on 2/23 but have months of rehab ahead of you…
It’s just like the flu until it’s not….