A short observation I've made:

Email forwards are the fruitcake of the Internet.
Most people throw it away,
Some keep it, but never open it,
And a few reuse it to pretend they care.

With my mom sick, I'm finding out it's hard to wait for news... the news of whether she'll live or die, make a full recovery or be left with some disabling attribute I'll have to pretend not to notice. Since I live several states away from my family, I am physically separated from the emotional tornado that is raging at home, yet I get a taste of the storm in short-burst phone conversations with my dad and my grandma.

The doctors seem to think they have no obligation to inform my family or instill any peace of mind in this situation. Although the doctors said that the results of my mom's spinal tap would arrive in 24 hours, the results have not been told to my father or mother after 48 hours. (My cynical mind says the dortors lost the test.) The doctors think that she has bacterial meningitis since the antiboitics seem to be helping her body fight back, but aren't showing the proof. (Did I mention this is a podunk hospital in North Dakota, USA - never get sick in rural America!)

On the better side, mom's symptoms seem to be lessening. Her headaches are not constant right now, and her temperature is spiking to 103 degrees F less often. However, she is starting to comment that although she can still move, she has a numbness from her lower abdomen down. This is a very scary thing as my mom is so active.

I have no idea what will happen in this situation. With my mom, the workhorse that pulls the family together, out to pasture right now, all I can think is "God, help my family."

My mom is in the hospital tonight. The doctors think she has bacterial meningitis, but they won't know for sure until the test results come in tomorrow evening.

My mom is a post office employee. The symptoms started a week ago Sunday, but since then she has worked, gone shopping, picked up my dad at his job in another town, and was in the delivery room with my sister and her newborn Wednesday. Oh, and there are my seven siblings who have had contact with her almost every day this week.

Can you imagine an epidemic - a disease outbreak - named after your family? Someday, it might be called the Brewer Outbreak...
I think I'm going to change my name. :(

To find out more about meningitis, go to the Meningitis Foundation of America.