Michael is still doing great and there haven’t been any major (or even minor) developments. As I was warned may happen, the doctor wants to keep him in ICU as long as possible so he’s staying another night. Please be assured that nothing is wrong, it’s just doctor preference. Everyone else on his surgical team and the ICU nursing staff have told us they’re comfortable with him moving to a regular room but the head doctor makes the final call.

Michael spent a little time in sitting up in a chair this morning then took another walking lap around the unit this afternoon. His pain is still being managed well so he’s comfortable and he’s also moving around a lot better with each passing hour. By the time I left this evening, he was even able to turn over in bed without assistance.

I know I sound like a broken record: he’s doing well, pain is managed, blah, blah but there’s not a whole lot to update and that is the best news of all. It means there haven’t been any setbacks so I’m very glad to be writing monotonous updates. 🙂

In addition to hopefully moving to a new room tomorrow, Michael also hopes to get the tube out that is helping remove fluid from his stomach. At that point, he’ll be able to start drinking soups and other liquids, then eventually eat solid food. All things point to that process starting up possibly as soon as tomorrow, which I know will help him get even stronger. His blood sugar has been great and is staying within range (with regular doses of insulin) so his body is already doing a good job adjusting to the missing pancreas and that bodes well for how things will go once he begins eating again. (He has been on insulin for a while because his pancreas wasn’t functioning well but now that it’s gone he’ll stay on insulin for life.)

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments and I will answer as quickly as I’m able. I know a lot of people are concerned about Michael but I want to remind everyone that this blog really is the best way to get information and I promise to update it as things change, or twice daily if nothing major is happening. As a reminder, here’s what Michael had to say in his last post before surgery:

“Please do not reach out to Lisa right now. She is grateful for everyone’s continued support but needs to focus on all the moving parts of my care, recovery, patient advocacy in the hospital, travel, insurance logistics, and FMLA requirements to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”

Thanks for understanding. I’ll be back tomorrow with another update after the doctor stops in for morning rounds. ❤️