Feb 16, Day +20 Home is so close!

"Just the Facts"-- Feeling stronger, no pain, lots of walking, drinking lots of water, and numbers flew!

Wow, what a difference a day will make.  B did really well drinking water yesterday and walking the ward.  The BMT team was impressed.  Last night when I left his White Blood cell count was at point 7, so this morning it measured out at 1.8!  It grew twice as much.  This was great news all around.  The entire staff kept congratulating him.  Then one of the PA's(Physician's Assistants) said walking will make them grow and B said why didn't you tell me that.  So today he had done 50 laps.  26 laps is a mile, so I guess you could say he is bit motivated.  He can almost taste home.  They have switched all his medicines over to pill form in the last 2 days and now he only has one bag on the drip pole with on one tube going to his catheter.  He is almost unleashed! We are trying to be patient and not get our hopes up, but I have to admit our hopes are up!

Although we are about to be released any day, they are cautioning B that he is not out of the "Woods" yet.  He still is highly susceptible to infections, illness and there is still the looming GVH.  Also his blood still need to produce at full levels and that won't happen for a while yet, so he will have to go very slow and pace himself.  They will watch closely (every other day) for the first 100 days post hospital.  The reality of what B has been through is never very far away, as the ward is full of BMT patients and some are not faring as well.  B heard just today that one man died this week.  They don't really see each other too much as they are restricted to their rooms and cannot come out due to potential compromise of their immunity systems, but we have seen some.  B was given a special pass by his Big Doctor to be walking outside his room.  That has been a life saver for him.  Before this process started B always said he wanted to go to Hawaii afterwards.  That dream has long since been replaced with just the dream of going home and getting comfortable.  I started this blog looking at my 2011 calendar and reflecting on what the page said.  Well I have been so busy, I just looked at what February said, Faith, Family, Friends, and truly that is what has carried us to this point today.  Thank you.
Until next time,
Hopeful Believer