Much, much health~ma to all who need it.

Atropa, congrats!

I have question for Buffistas from San Diego/with knowledge of the city/region. A friend who is Very Awesome and Wonderful and Geek will be relocating for a postdoc in computer science UCSD from late October. She will be happy to get all practical pointers on how to do this transition as smoothly as possible - where to live, tax and financial advice for postdocs/expats, and where to start looking for awesome people with similar interests - she will be living in San Diego while her partner and cats stay here.

So I thought of asking here, in case somebody has pointers for her.

Last night, we spent a few hours at the hospital with our boy. He was showing improvement and seemed like himself. He can have nothing by mouth, not even water, because they want complete rest for his gut.

The IBD has caused fistula in his gut, which is what led to the abscess. I don't know if the eventual answer will be surgery or not. From the tests we've had (an assessment MRI last week and a CAT scan from the ER during the admission odyssey) it looks like over all, the disease in the large intestine has improved (except for this area where the fistula and abscess are). But the doctor told me his small intestine still looks like a "war zone."

The team at this hospital is trying to figure out if he'd do better on a long course of just liquid nutrition (like Ensure or Boost), to further rest his gut. I suspect that's where we'll end up, or that plus surgery.

I'm so grateful that he's doing better and that we live here, where you trip over one great hospital on the way to the next, but I'm really angry this is happening to him. I know that's stupid when I think of all the little kids suffering in the world, but even when I try to adopt that perspective, my head is screaming all the time.

I'm so sorry your family is going through this, Cindy.

I was a very sick child - I had kidney issues that had me in and out of the hospital constantly until I had major corrective surgery at age 8 - and I didn't fully appreciate until I had my own kids how hard it must have been for my parents.

Love and prayers for your family, Cindy. I've been blessed with pretty healthy children overall. No doubt it is far harder than dealing with personal health issues to see your child sick.

Thanks, Jessica. That must have been so hard for you and for them.

He's 19, but when we were driving home last night, I felt like I was leaving my two year old.

We're just waiting for morning traffic to go away, so we can head in for the day. I talked to him, and he sounded good, but he's hungry (which is a good thing, but it's an unfortunate good thing, since he can't eat right now).

Thanks, Laura. I should have refreshed before posting.

We all go through it in one way or another with our kids.

That sounds awful for all of you, Cindy. I'm sorry.

Thanks, Jesse.

Right now, I'm keeping myself busy by either praying, or by deeply and utterly hating on every single person who ever bullied him, or was mean to him, or made his life difficult, with a side order of flogging and punishing for every mistake I've made, because those three things go together, right?

Cindy, I had severe asthma from a very young age - I spent one of my birthdays inside an oxygen tent. It's been a long road getting it under control and I know my Mom still carries part of it.

And please remind yourself of the most important thing you did - You got your son to the people who can help him, and they are helping him.

Health~ma for him and bearing-the-strain~ma for you, Cindy

Work wants to know "fun facts" about me. What is my favorite flower? Do I have a favorite flower? I never thought about it before. Favorite magazine/author is also hard but at least I have some known preferences there