Guess what?

Towards the end of last week and during the first part of this week, the doctors' goals were to keep Maggie stable and to make some changes in anticipation of someday going home. For instance, they wanted to find a schedule and dose of diuretics that would 1)allow us to administer the meds easily from home, 2) keep her from retaining fluids, and 3) not risk her becoming dehydrated. Also, they have been following up on tests (repeat EKG and Echocardiogram for her heart) and investigating her acid reflux. Maggie's respiratory rate had been a bit increased, so they started exploring causes of that as well. In the meantime, they started calling Maggie's doctors in Dayton, arranging for a pulmonary specialist from Cincinnati to be assigned to Maggie's care for the long-term, preparing take-home-ready oxygen tanks and pumps, feeding pumps, oxygen saturation monitors, etc.

As the week progressed, Maggie has shown some good signs. In the last 2 days her oxygen requirement has not only been stable, but gone down (her lungs made a step in the right direction). Her respiratory rate has gotten a bit closer to normal. Her overnight desaturation episodes seem to be less of an issue. She will continue on an anti-fungal medicine, a heavy duty anti-viral, 2 diuretics, several stomach medicines, and a potassium supplement. But all of the goals for the week are going quite well.

Maggie continues to impress medical folks who come to see her. Those who saw her at different stages of her recent illness (or those who just read the records) are very, very happy to see how she looks. All said, we are extremely blessed. We paid a visit to the PICU tonight to see some of our nurses and doctors. We couldn't have been happier to get to show Maggie to everyone who helped her so much. In time, we'll visit the ICU in Dayton, too.

From a cancer perspective, her blood counts have been normal (now 11 weeks post chemo). We can now get back to the often challenging stage of being off of treatment. I am sure we can post more about that at another time. Maggie's lung injury will also require us to make some changes that will be tough--significant isolation from people, public places, and any place where she could catch a cold or respiratory illness of any kind. Her lungs, though improving, are going to be fragile for a while.

Wearing daddy's shoes.

Enjoying her first bath in months.

Showing off her lotion while getting a waterless hairwash.

One last hurrah with her old shoes--she has grown out of her clothes and shoes since being in the hospital.

So we are leaving the good (amazing doctors and nurses who have become like family, the fancy hospital bed, room service) and the bad (beeping monitors, medical crises, interrupted nights, make-shift recliner/bed-for-two) of the hospital so that someone else can use our room. They can have it, cause we're going home.

After I finish this post we'll get ready for bed, hopefully get some sleep, get through a work day tomorrow (Friday), and then hit the road and head to Dayton.

We'll have more reflections, more pictures, and a lot more thank-yous in the coming week or so. Until then, thank you for your amazing support.

God's blessings to you all.