Max’s lungs are apparently sounding much better. The blood tests point to a bacterial, rather than viral, infection. This is good news because it means all the antibiotics going into him weren’t just to piss him off (he caught me on the jaw with not one, not two, but three Tiger Uppercuts with his cathetered and bandaged hand when I held the oxygen mask over his face this afternoon). He is here for a three day course of meds and observation, which seems to be a WHO standard adopted in Thailand. He is sleeping now and I’m writing my exams outside on a large balcony at the end of the…

There’s something hugely wrong about sleeping on a hospital sofa. The body rejects it, the mind rejects it. /////////////////////////////////// The catheter in Max’s arm had to be replaced this morning (to his other arm, actually) because it partly worked it’s way out last night and we had it removed to facilitate ease of motion. He cried a lot less than he did yesterday, because he was still very sleepy. I had to hold him down today, though, and it wasn’t fun. In the end, though, it was all good and he was smiling again five minutes later. Uh oh it’s time to give him the inhalants via oxygen mask… UPDATE:…

We just had a blackout. The ceiling AC unit spun down into silence and the hospital was thrust into total blackness except for the dim glow of my trusty laptop’s screen. It was at once surprising and reassuring when the hospital’s generator kicked in ten seconds later – what a remarkable response time for Thailand! The guy down the hall on the iron lung was even more impressed.

He has bronchitis (and possibly a bacterial infection) serious enough for treatment at the hospital for at least a few days. The real fear is it turning to pneumonia, so the doctors are insisting a course of inhalants and IV-administered meds. We had him diagnosed first by a pediatrician at a private clinic this afternoon, then at the provincial hospital, where they wanted him to stay. It was too crowded and dirty there, so we are opting to take him to a private hospital nearby instead since he does have to stay for a while. If you need to contact us, call our mobile numbers. I’m attaching his chest x-ray…