Back Home, Again

Mike was released this morning (Tuesday) after his blood lab work showed some remarkable improvements in just the last 24 hours. The key white blood cell count went from 4.5 yesterday to around 11.0 this morning, meaning that his immunity system can handle all but the very worst attacks that might come his way. So, there was no further reason to keep in him the hospital.

The docs have shuffled his meds around and we think they have found a good combination to take care of the pain, possible infections, nausea, and other key parts of his recovery.

Also among the good news was a weight gain of 10 pounds while in the hospital--a result of around-the-clock IV fluids, regular feedings, and decreased nausea. At home this evening he was able to ingest a small amount of Italian Ice and Gatorade "Straight up, no rocks, please." That doesn't sound like much, but it's the first of many small steps in getting him back to a regular diet in the next 4-6 months.

Still no exact date on the final PET scan. The oncology unit is moving to another building and they can't pinpoint a time/date for Mike's test any closer than sometime in late May or early June.

In the interim, we are going to scan the best of the cards sent to Mike by all of you and display the on the blog. Some of you folks (and non-bloggers) are very reverent and stay within some boundaries of common decency in expressing your concern for Mike/us as we've gone down this long road to recovery. Others have clearly crossed way over those boundaries with cards that we're sure you did not share with your parents or kids before sending them to Mike. You know who you are. Just remember what they say about paybacks, and that we have your addresses.

mike and terry