Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	7.3	13-17	^
Platelets	5	140-375	v
ANC	0	1800-8300	_

When I was a small boy, my parents, and sometimes my older brother, would read to me. I remember some of the titles. Among my favorites were "Noises and Mr. Flibbertyjib," "The Churkendoose," "The Pokey Little Puppy." There were more, but those stand out in my memory. Another one I always liked was Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows." 

If you don't know the story (and quite honestly I can only barely remember it), it takes place along the banks of a river in England. The main characters are mole and rat, two pals.  They had all kinds of adventures in the vegetation along the river's edge, and best of all they would go boating on the river. 

Perhaps, the most iconic line in the book is "What the Water Rat said to the Mole: 'Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.'” (Source) As a former mariner, I have always loved that line. 

Disney, of course, eventually based a movie on this story, along with others. And finally they added a ride called "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" based very loosely on the book, to their Disneyland park in Anaheim. It's full of bumps and jolts and things popping out at you. Quite exciting for kids of all ages.What in the world does this have to do with...anything? 

Patience my friend, patience.  

Around midnight, my nurse came in to do vital signs. My temperature was elevated. She swung into action, enlisting the aid of other nurses, and CNAs. In the next couple of hours, I had two blood draws for culturing to see if there are bacteria in my bloodstream, I gave a urine sample, I had a chest x-ray, I had some more blood draws for blood counts, I received an infusion of IV antibiotics and a unit of platelets. It was a little like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, full of bumps and jolts and things popping up when least expected.

The thing that puzzles me is that I haven't had chills or sweating or any of the things I associate with fever. In fact, I feel pretty good, considering my low blood counts. I wouldn't have known I had a fever, unless someone took my vital signs. Hmm. Maybe that's why they do it!

I just got plugged in to another bag of antibiotics, which I'm told I will receive every eight hours. This treatment is preventive, in case there is infection in my blood stream. It will require a couple of days to get the results of the blood cultures to know for sure. So, if you are a praying person, please ask the Lord to spare me a blood infection. That can be dangerous. 

Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)