Update...

Thank you all so much for all your kind words and prayers.

I have been a half of an inch away from absolute hysteria for the past two days.

He's a strong young man. He's a strong young man. I have to keep telling myself that.

Now that we're home and not at the hospital, each time the phone rings, my heart jumps into my throat in case it's the hospital saying he's worse. Or worse than worse.

He's a strong young man. He's a strong young man.

Another young man from our town was down in the city in the same ICU unit. They had to remove part of one of his lungs. We passed his parents and sister in the elevator, and I thought---OMG, I know them. Typically, the daughter was one of the passel of girls who had been calling the house when The Happening Dude first came to be with us.

Another strong young man.

Our boy had a bad night. The xray on his left lung showed that it was worse. They switched him to another type of ventilator to give him more support. Unfortunately, they had to sedate him more, so I don't know if he even knew we were with him all day. Yesterday, he was able to squeeze my hand. Today he wasn't.

The good news is that his fever was down from 104 to 100. His heart rate was down to a better level as well. The Xrays showed that his heart was enlarged, but it was a portable Xray machine, so they weren't positive. An echocardiogram showed that it wasn't and there wasn't fluid around his heart either, which is what they were fearing. His blood pressure bottomed out after he was admitted, and they've been keeping it up with fluids and medication.

He's a strong young man. He's a strong young man.

His kidneys are working fine. His blood gases were very good today. He has color in his face, which is hopeful. He's on three strong antibiotics.

He's not breathing on his own, but the machines are keeping his oxygen levels where they should be. He just needs time to maintain and heal.

He's a strong young man.

I debated about whether or not to write about this, but there is a scream---a violent, overwhelming, primal scream---trapped in my chest. It's so big that I don't think it will fit through my throat or my mouth without tearing me apart from the inside out. This is something that we never imagined would happen to us, no matter what we saw on the TV, because the kid really just never goes anywhere. Or hasn't in the last couple of weeks.

We thought it was JUST A COLD----on Tuesday we bought him cold medicine and he said he was feeling better, and three days later---it just happened SO FAST!

The doctor said that the virus can live up to 5 hours on surfaces such as steel, like on shopping carts and things like that.

Be vigilant. Wash your hands. Carry sanitizing wipes or gel or whatever you can get your hands on, and wipe down public surfaces before you touch them. This flu is truly a raging inferno that is attacking our young people with an insatiable hunger.

My boy, my precious boy...

Thank you again for all of your kind wishes and prayers, my friends. Please keep them coming.

He's a strong young man. Please pray that he is strong enough.