# Mr. Shoe is in the hospital **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279 "2012-08-12T16:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/321 "2012-09-05T02:03:30Z")
Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/322 "2012-09-05T02:35:39Z")
A big Kermit-style “Yaaay!” for Mr. Shoe. HoD, sorry to hear that. But I’m very glad to hear that you paid attention to the symptoms and got yourselves looked after. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/323 "2012-09-05T02:37:54Z")
Hooray! ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/324 "2012-09-05T03:13:07Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > No real changes, other than geography. No real change? I’d say it’s a huge change. It’s a big, firm statement of “They think it’s less likely that he’ll need immediate attention.” It’s great news! 🙂 Oh, and **Heart of Dorkness**..don’t you dare go getting sicker. We have our hands full with Schmoopie already! -D/a ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/325 "2012-09-05T03:25:45Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Maybe his new tablet could accommodate some audio books? Regular e-books too. Gotta keep a guy entertained. > > Go over to Project Gutenberg and go “shopping” for free books for Schmooops. 😃 > > There’s thousands of freebies over there, everything from Shakespeare to Mark Twain. If he’s a SF fan, go to [www.baen.com](http://www.baen.com) fir ebooks and scroll down to the bottom and click on the [free library button](http://www.baen.com/library/). They have a LOT of good stuff. If you have the time, read their reasons for a publishing house to spend the money give books away. Its a long, but very interesting piece. My droid allows me to borrow audio books and ebooks from my library, so I’m sure his new tablet can do that as well. The best part IMO is that after the check out time is over, the book disappears and I don’t get overdue fines! EVER!!! > [@Khadaji](#): > > In fact, I will even spring for 3 months - PM me and I’ll send you a check. Makes a mental note of your name…with nice person attached to the description. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Guess who got moved out of the ICU today? **points at Mr. Shoe** THIS GUY!!! > > \ > > So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me the ability to tell him that he’s loved by so many. It means a lot. > Wishing you and your husband a speedy recovery, **Heart of Dorkness.** Meningitis was one of the very few dangers that passed over my husband, and I’m sorry if the Meningitis Fairy skipped over him and into your home instead. Hurray that we are now able to offer up suggestions as how to help your man deal with boredom! BTW, I sent you a PM complaining that I hadn’t gotten your PM yet. I’m really sorry about that. I know that your internet friends are way low on your list of things to do…as we should be. Your Shoomishypie is first, cats are second, work is somewhere on the list and sleep should come before posting here. **Heart of Dorkness** , stop this at once. I hearby proclaim myself Queen of the World…and from this day on…no other Dopers will end up in the hospital. Except for **Cat Whisperer** who is getting elective surgery done…she can go to the hospital. NOBODY else! I have _spoken!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/326 "2012-09-05T03:55:46Z")
wow! this is major progress! i gotta admit, i’ve been lurking along. everytime i read the latest news i hear the chorus of “hang on sloopy” as “hang on schmoopy”. i must share this so that all will have this earworm. “hang on schmoopy!, schmoopy! hang on!!” ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/327 "2012-09-05T04:48:55Z")
Yay! That is wonderful news! ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/328 "2012-09-05T08:18:22Z")
Yay. A great place for free audiobooks is [librivox.com](http://librivox.com). That place has kept me entertained through many a hospital stay. Also some folks have released a whole heap of totally legal to watch black and white movies on youtube - some great stuff and not so great stuff that is bloody funny to my modern eyes. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/329 "2012-09-05T10:17:02Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > For starters, his chest X-rays show much clearer lungs over yesterday and today. Even better, when we came back at noon, he was in a chair, with a belt around his waist but otherwise sitting up under his own strength. Best of all, the nurse brought a cup of ice chips and water with a spoon, and he ate probably 3/4 to a full cup of them, crunching and crunching and indicating, “more, please.” No gurgling, no choking. I asked the nurse if this counted as a swallow evaluation, and he said it wasn’t an official one, but if it was, he’d have passed, and that he’d note it on his chart for the physical therapist. > > And, now: :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D Congrats! I know that when my dad was in the ICU, getting to sit up for the first time was a MAJOR moment for him - not so much medically as personally, in the “finally out of that damn bed” way. Just another internet stranger wishing for a full, easy recovery for your dear schmoopy. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/331 "2012-09-05T12:02:52Z")
I wish I had some more good advice or ideas, but I’m clean out right now, so just sending hearty best wishes! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/332 "2012-09-05T12:14:54Z")
Good news, good news! A geography shift is a \*huge \*thing. It means that they are much less concerned than they were! Sending out good thoughts to **Heart of Dorkness** and her husband too! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/333 "2012-09-05T13:30:56Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Hooray! I’m so happy to hear all the good news. I’ve been telling my husband about you and **Schmoopie** , so you’ve even got non-Doper-type strangers caring about you. > > We’ve been thinking about you guys a lot this last weekend, actually. We were both feeling feverish and headachy on and off, and then early Monday, husband took a turn for the worse, and we found out he has meningitis, probably viral. Then I started deteriorating, and it turns out I have it, too! Fortunately, the kid seems to be fine so far. But yeah, I’ve only been in the hospital a day or so and I’m already bored out of my gourd. So, one, we both have a renewed appreciation for what all of you are going through, and two, whatever I can do to help, I’m on it as soon as my ass is out of here. Cards, books, jokes that are only funny to me; all this and more is yours for the asking. > > Keep up the good work! I missed this- feel better both of you! Scary stuff and glad you’re doing ok and so is your kidlet. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/334 "2012-09-05T13:48:42Z")
If there’s not already an e-reader on the tablet you can download the Kindle e-reader for free. There’s tons of free books out there, including not only Amazon itself but Project Gutenberg – other sources too, I’m sure. What does Mr Shoe like to read? Maybe I can send you something. Glad to hear things are on the uptick. Also – and just as important – what can we do for YOU? You need tending to as well, you’ve had so much on you. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/335 "2012-09-05T14:59:51Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > If there’s not already an e-reader on the tablet you can download the Kindle e-reader for free. > > There’s tons of free books out there, including not only Amazon itself but Project Gutenberg – other sources too, I’m sure.. Yep - Kindle and Barnes and Noble/Nook both have ereader apps so you can shop at either place. Stanza is a nice ereader app that links directly to Gutenberg and other free sites; I have it on my iPod Touch and I assume there’s a version that works on the iPad. If **Schmoopie** likes science fiction and/or fantasy, there are a LOT of books in the Baen universe, free for the downloading: [http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/](http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/) (note: page colors etc. are AWFUL). (second note: the Bujold/Vorkosigan Cryoburn CD was apparently removed from that site by request from Baen, but I have the original CD and it explicitly says “may copy and share as long as you don’t sell it”, so if you want a copy, PM me). There are other free / reasonably priced books available directly at the Baen site also. Their “Chicks in Chainmail” series of anthologies has a lot of fun, light stories. “Chicks Ahoy” has several of the individual books under one title, and is a good value. Their stuff is also DRM free (Nook and Kindle books are not, though that can be circumvented: note, do NOT do that except for your own convenience, do NOT break copyright law!!). If audiobooks might be his thing, you can usually find deals where you get 1-2 books free from Audible, and then you pay a 15 a month subscription fee which gets you 1 audiobook credit (the books themselves are more than 15 apiece, usually, so it’s a decent deal). ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/336 "2012-09-05T15:44:09Z")
~~hoping **Heart of Dorkness** isn’t posting because she’s just napping~~ Thanks, all. **Shoe** isn’t actually much of a reader (I know, I know … ) and he has several magazine subscriptions already, so his IRL reading pile is stacking up anyway. Plus, like I said, spiffy TV! 😃 Also, he can work his own remote now, so he’s enjoying channel-surfing to his heart’s content. I’m okay, **TubaDiva** , really, I am. His parents and his aunt are doing a great job of making sure I have plenty of food etc. and the lawn mowing has been taken care of (the one maintenance thing I really wasn’t gonna do\*\*) so as long as my manager and GrandBoss are generously flexible with my work hours I’m golden. About the only thing worrying me is that I’m almost done with the book I bought, so **~I’m~** going to take some of your reading suggestions! \*\* Yeah, yeah. It’s the one sexist gender-role thing I’m okay with. Plus, I’m afraid I’d mow over my own flowers. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/337 "2012-09-05T17:53:03Z")
YES! Out of ICU means everything. Keep up the good work, \*\* Schmoopie\*\*! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/338 "2012-09-05T22:01:29Z")
out of ICU is huge!! congrats to both The Shoes _the crowd goes wild_ ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/339 "2012-09-06T00:40:04Z")
I love this family I married into, this functional, non-freaky, relatively normal, kind, caring family. Wanna know why? Because his aunt drive _her ex-husband_ over here so he could mow our lawn for us. This … this sort of thing would not happen among my kin. _Medical stuff_: he had the PIC line taken out of one arm and a new one inserted in the other. (Well, vice-versa, most likely. 🙂 ) He’s still fighting a lot of bacterial infections, so they’re culturing his urine and the old PIC line to see what’s up. Otherwise, not much to say so far. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/340 "2012-09-06T02:22:09Z")
Well, that was a nice visit. 🙂 His parents had been by earlier, so for once, it was just him and me in the room. He was flipping back and forth between the Cowboys game and “Restaurant Impossible” on Food Network. His only complaint was the top of his right foot (metatarsals) were sore. We’re aware of[foot drop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_drop) - and, more importantly, his nurses are aware that he’s been hurting there - so I rubbed it and moved his foot around slowly, and asked if there was anything else I could do. There wasn’t, so I perched on the edge of his bed, and we watched the football players bluster about, and Chef Irvine bluster about, and after a while I noticed he wasn’t switching back over commercial breaks, and looked over to see that he’d fallen sound asleep. 🙂 It was nice and _normal_: watching TV together until one of us fell asleep and the other tiptoed off. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279/341 "2012-09-06T04:22:52Z")
Wow. Nice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-shoe-is-in-the-hospital/631279.md?page=18)