On Friday afternoon at 1:00pm, we left the ICU and headed back up to our old room! The CAT scan in the morning showed no issues at all. It was a wonderful journey back up to Floor 7 and the nurses and cleaning staff were ecstatic to see Josh return!
In the elevator... headed up!
Back to our room!!! : )
On Friday, Josh's blood counts started to increase. Saturday, they increased even more! We were excited to share the news and luckily for us, we had many visitors that day.
Josh's Grandma Mabie and Aunt Linda came first, carrying three of the LARGEST balloons I have ever seen! They were all decked in Superman, which I thought was quite fitting for the day. One of my co-workers and her family stopped to visit, followed by two of my sorority sisters, Joshua's best friend and his family, and finally my Mother in Law & Step dad. They took me out to dinner around 8:30pm and Josh fell asleep the second we left the room! Wow... that was a long day of chatting!
Jack, Wendy (co-worker), and Ryan
Jimmy (Best Bud), Lisa, and Willow hanging out
Today, Josh's blood counts dropped a little. The doctors said that a drop is okay and quite common, but they should continue to see an upward trend. Josh had dialysis on Saturday for three and a half hours, which we were hoping would be the last time. However, after looking at the numbers today, he will need dialysis again tomorrow morning. His kidney function is still improving, but not yet 100%.
This afternoon, Josh got up and walked over to the recliner where he spent a couple hours. He ate more today than he has for the last few days and he managed to keep everything down except breakfast. Hopefully tomorrow will bring even better eating and maybe even a little exercise to start strengthening his legs.
Best news ever: The doctors say that if all continues to go well, we might be able to leave the hospital in a week! Praise, praise, praise the Lord!!! That is way quicker than we ever expected.
We can not WAIT to get out of here. I am ready to return to the real world and we are MOST excited to see our dog Boss. We haven't seen him in over 3 weeks other than pictures sent from my family. We miss him like crazy!
Over the next week, we will be praying that Josh's blood counts continue to increase to a normal level. We are praying that Josh does not acquire GVHD, a disease where the new cells start attacking the organs of the body. And we continue to pray that his kidneys fully recover.
We spent eight days in the ICU last week. Today, we hear that we might be able to leave in a week. Can you believe it?!? Your prayers are working. Our prayers are working. God's hands are continuing to heal my husband and it is AMAZING! He knows Josh's body better than any doctor because He created him. He knows what Josh needed to get to this point and He knows what Josh needs to get to full recovery. Please continue to pray with us!
Stand and see great things which the Lord will do before your eyes! 1 Samuel 12:16
Yay!!!!!!! I am so excited to hear all this good news I can't wait to see you guys and for you guys to see something other than the hospital!! Much Love!
ReplyDeleteHeidi and Josh, What wonderful progress and news for today!!! I loved seeing the picture of Josh going into your room on floor 7 - home, sweet, U of M, home! Your journey has been long and a bit tough, but the two of you are a strong team. That is obvious by the details of your blog. I am so happy to know that you are getting closer to coming home!!! I love you both!! Mom
ReplyDeleteWonderful Update! Praying God brings you both home soon, for Josh's health and recovery and for the continued improvement and strength. Keep up the good work! God Bless - The Stites Family (Kristy, Carl, Sydney, Alexa & Paige)
ReplyDeleteHoping and praying this good news keep on rolling!!! There's light at the end of the tunnel, you're so close Josh, hang in there and before you know it, you'll be home with your buddy Boss. He's going to go CrAzY when he sees you both!!!! Miss you both and can't wait to have you both home again in good ol Rockford! :) Love you!!!
ReplyDelete