Unexpected homecoming

 
Sometimes a period of LJ silence means nothing interesting is happening in the poster’s life. And sometimes it means that enough is happening that there’s just no time to keep up with it all.

Susan and I got a call a few days ago from our daughter (the usually ebullient sroni). She’d been feeling poorly for some weeks: nausea, fatigue, unable to keep food down. Finally it had reached the point where she had to visit a walk-in clinic to try and find out what the problem was. From her voice I could tell that she had just about bottomed out; my daughter is upbeat most of the time, but when she’s miserable you know it.

Susan was the one who formally made the decision, but I had already come to the same determination. By the time Roni called the following morning to tell us the results of the clinic’s tests — inconclusive, except for anemia — I was on the road toward her location. I passed out of one state, drove across a second and into a third, getting cell phone instructions from Roni to navigate the last few miles. Picking her up, I promptly reversed the process to bring her home; by the time we got back, I had been on the road for thirteen hours.

(Lest the question arise: yes, she was tested for pregnancy. Not an issue, but these days it’s just something they do automatically. Too many girls lie, and too many things can go wrong if a lie is accepted, so health care institutions no longer take the chance.)

We got her to see the family doctor Monday morning; more tests, with a follow-up in two weeks. Until this came up, Roni was committed to finishing out her current tour with Covenant Players, which would have taken her into December. Now, the question is whether her health can be assessed and stabilized in time for her to return to them early enough for it to be worth the effort.

This isn’t a minor issue. She lost twenty pounds in three weeks, and had reached the point where she had to lean on the wall to walk downstairs; how she made it UPstairs is a matter of mystery and miracle. One way or another, she’ll be home for awhile. We just don’t yet know how long.