Whereby Stan Demonstrates How Not to Take a Vacation

Stan and I planned a grand trip to Portland this week.

We were anxious to see those Pearsons again.

 

 

We looked forward to the Portland Rose Garden

as well as other "Portland must" visits.

 

Before we left for Portland, I took the grandkids for one last fling at the local swimming mecca.

 

That's where I got The Call.

 

 

 

Stan was home, wanting to know when I was going to be home because he wanted to go somewhere.

We went home immediately and I suggested the emergency room. 

 I flung Stan over my shoulder, carried him down the stairs, tucked him into the car and we were off!

 

Ok, that part is maybe not quite right. It took Amy, me, Hailey, and Makayla to get Stan into the car.  When we got to the emergency room, they took one look at Stan and moved him to the front of the long line of ER vacationers. Then our vacation really started. They gave Stan a Be Happy Cocktail. Considering the agony he'd been in, this was magical stuff. This vacation is going to rock!

Perhaps some background information would be useful at this point. Stan has been having some ongoing issues with his joints. We visited a Rheumatologist, who took 12 vials of blood and did a thorough examination, and decided to withdraw fluid from Stan's painful knee and eject a steroid to help with the pain and swelling.

Three hours later, Stan was in such pain he could not bear it. ER tests revealed that his knee had become seriously infected.

 

Stan's vacation package includes a one a.m. visit with a competent surgeon--although Stan slept through the visit. Next he got this nifty leg warmer

and this fabulous bed for one. Which (and excuse me for whining) is lots more comfortable than the vacation accommodations they have extended to me.

Stan also gets room service anytime he wants it.

 

And the food is well....um.....yeah.

You know how when you go on vacation you always look for the perfect souvenir to take home? Stan chose this lovely PIC line which will allow him to dose up on antibiotics for the next 6 weeks.

Stan even got some special vacation visitors.

They were a little unnerved by his pre-vacation agony and were relieved to see their usual grandpa. Although he does seem a bit, well, loopy...

Dr. Hailey checked to make sure he wasn't getting too much of the Happy Juice stuff.

 

Hailey left some vacation reading material for Grandpa.

Stan got here on Tuesday and expects to be here a couple more days.

Oh, those crazy, lazy, hazy days of summer!

 

Some things to add:

The surgeon made a two inch vertical incision just below his knee and cleaned the infected area with antibiotics.

The doctors suspect his infection was caused by contaminated batch of steroids since his infection started so soon after his injection/appointment. They are trying to grow something in a petri dish from his knee and have asked the doctor to track down the vial he used for the injection.

We don't yet know what is causing his original issue of painful joints. We probably won't know for a couple of weeks when all the tests are back.

Stan is up and able to walk. He has some pain, but nothing like a few days ago.

He will hopefully be able to administer his own antibiotics through his PIC line at home. The other option is to go to the hospital twice a day for the next 6 weeks.

All things considered, we think Portland would have been funner.