The short version:

FIL was really sick. He lost 1 1/2 quarts of blood, and was given 500 cc of red blood cells in Afton, and continued to lose blood throughout today.

MIL went to Wyoming to get him, and brought him back to a nice big Idaho hospital. Of course, this is America, so there was no way he was getting into a doc for 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. (But he doesn't have that much blood to lose...) When the MIL told me this I asked, "What are you going to do? Get him in via the ER?" And she said, "Pretty much." And they did. It took all day, but the FIL was finally seen.

He had an ulcer/some small ulcers. (I'm still not clear on this.) The doc repaired his hole/holes, and sent him home to rest.

Of course, because I'm brilliant (whatever), I figured it was ulcers. And later my MIL told me thought so, too (due to FIL's arthritis meds, which he's been taking WITHOUT food, despite instructions to the contrary).

The other important thing to note is that the MIL is an RN, and used to work post-op at this hospital. She's now a nurse educator and works on the peds floor one day a week. She hooked up the FIL with a FNP her MIL has been seeing, via the ER, and got the FIL in that way. So there was much scheming, but it was necessary.

And Sarah is right, and there is no way my MIL was leaving until ulcers were burned closed.

In any event, I am exhausted. It's been a long couple of days. (I went up north yesterday sans kids to comfort Rice the best I could.)

Night.