Ups and Downs

This is one of the few times when both "up" and "down" can be good news. The last couple of days have brought great reports on Michael's progress. One doctor said that Michael looks like a patient who is a couple weeks, not just one week, out of transplant.

The engraftment of Timothy's bone marrow is taking place. Michael is slowly showing that he's making new blood cells. (Time out for a science lesson: The ANC is the number that we have learned to live by over the last months. The Absolute Neutrophil Count calculates the number of neutrophils, the white blood cells that fight infection, that are present in the blood. The healthy person usually maintains an ANC of 1,500-2,000, and any number below 500 is considered to be dangerous due to inability to withstand exposure to any infection.) Michael's ANC is up from O to just over 100. It should steadily climb from here. An ANC of 500 for three days in a row is a requirement to be able to leave the hospital.

Michael's muscositis is all but gone. They have gradually turned down his pain medication and plan to completely eliminate it by mid-week. Requiring no pain medication is another requirement to be able to leave the hospital.

Michael's temperature is staying down. For him, a fever is the immediate indicator of some possible form of infection and is treated seriously. He has had only one fever so far which responded immediately to antibiotics. A stable temperature, no infections, and requiring no antibiotics is yet another requirement to be able to leave the hospital.

Michael's appetite is slooooowly returning. He continues to eat small amounts of food periodically. Since the slice of pizza, he has eaten some ice cream, some chicken noodle soup, and (insert long motherly sigh) quite a bit of candy. The nurses delivered a large bag of Halloween candy to his room. The harder candies that can just dissolve in his mouth have been especially appealing. He is still being fed intravenously, though. When he's able to eat and drink sufficiently, they'll end the IV nutrition and he'll meet yet another requirement to be able to leave the hospital.

Michael's physical strength remains stable. Daily physical therapy sessions show that he has the strength required to leave the hospital, but his heart races with almost any physical exertion. Simply sitting up or standing puts a strain on his heart. When all of his medications are lowered, they'll have a better idea of what is causing this issue.

The final factor is Graft vs. Host Disease. The next few days will show if Michael's body is going to react in any way to Timothy's bone marrow. We are praying that the effects will be minimal.

It's exciting to watch things begin to move in the right direction--up or down. Every day, sometimes every couple of hours, brings some improvement. We are encouraged and so thankful for all your continued prayers.