More Progress

What a difference a day can make! Dad is feeling so much better. Jordon thinks he's magical! :) I'll attribute it to prayers and medical intervention, though! Dad has eaten a lot more today, and his blood counts and all other counts are looking better. He has color in his face and is awake much more. What a big sigh of relief! He went from being critically ill to stable in 3 days. We are so grateful!

His oncologist wants him to start trying to walk around in his room and sit in a chair tomorrow. She doesn't want him to get too weak (he's down to 160 pounds!). His platelets are still low, but because his bleeding is under control, they don't want to give him any more. We learned today that too many platelet transfusions can cause another set of problems, so we're glad that we don't need to worry about that for now.

We do know that it is a fungal infection in his colon, which is very rare. We don't know the details of the particular infection, but enough to know that he needs a strong anti-fungal medication. His oncologist said that the pathologists were "excited" about his case because it was so unique. The oncologist said that it's never a good sign when pathologists get excited about something! :) Thankfully, he seems to be responding to his anti-fungal medication and antibiotics.

We're feeling soooo relieved. Mom was comfortable enough to leave at 6:45 tonight to go make some beef stew. Dad has been asking about beef stew a lot. She'll get some sleep, too, and Jordon and I can be with Dad. Jordon will leave later tonight, and I'll be here again overnight.

We have really appreciated all of the messages, prayers, and concern. It is very comforting to know how much Dad is loved!