Hubby: "Morning all, I found out why she did not call me back - she fell asleep! MRI still scheduled for this morning. They have her on an IV antibiotic. I suspect she will be released once they have the MRI results and confirm the diagnosis. As of yet they have not given her an anti-inflammatory or steroid to treat the nerve inflammation, waiting to make sure it is Bell's or Ramsay Hunt. She said she slept all day yesterday, all last evening and all night!"

I really was tired yesterday, but I woke this morning refreshed, and my fever was down below 102F, which helped. I got to meet the roomie next to me, who arrived yesterday afternoon. I was so groggy yesterday I hardly acknowledged her presence. She's a lovely woman, 70 years old, has pneumonia, which she gets often. She also has painful neuropathy, and has to take a dose of morphine to break the cycle when it gets really bad. I felt enough better today that meeting her made me feel like I was just taking up space there! The other two roommates are feeble elderly, and don't talk to us.

I finally had enough energy to brush my teeth this morning, and what an adventure! I had to lift the lip with my finger to get the brush in, spitting was impossible, and rinsing was a hoot. I just hoped I got them clean. Washing up was fun too. I had to lean against the wall and hold onto the sink with one hand while I washed with the other. Maybe some day I'll be able to take a shower without falling over.

I noticed today that I had trouble locating the source of sounds. This means I'm not hearing much in my right ear. I hope that's just from the swelling in my ear canal! I didn't notice this problem yesterday.

They took me down in a wheelchair about 9:00 A.M for the MRI of my head and neck. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Although it was pretty noisy, I actually dozed off a couple of times. It took about an hour, then they wheeled me back to my room in time for my next meds. Another check of my vitals showed that my fever was going up again. One of the older roommates was sent home in the morning, and a new roomie added. She has a great sense of humor!

Our pastor called and told me that a request for prayer for me went out on the prayer chain. Although I was concerned about what was happening to me, I really did feel a strange peace about it... it has to be the prayers of my friends! He apologized for not coming in to see me, but he was about to leave for Maine to do a funeral, and had arranged to stay there for a few days to visit with his mother. The phone rang all morning. I guess friends and family who were kind enough to let me sleep yesterday want the reassurance of talking to me in person!

Just before lunch, the MRI results were delivered to my room. The ENT looked them over about 2:00 P.M. and told me I had some mastoiditis, probably secondary to the ear infection and, apparently, contributing to my spiky fever. He found nothing in the MRI that would indicate stroke or a tumor, so something else was going on. The choices seem to be narrowed down to BP or RHS. My fever was going down again by dinnertime.

Hubby: "Just got a diagnosis - mastoiditis. Her attending physician said he had never seen it before. It is a bacterial infection in the air cells of bony skull behind the ear and is very rare today, it was very common prior to the 1940s when antibiotics came into being. She is still running a temperature, but much lower, so maybe they will release her tomorrow."