Michael is still holding his own, trying to balance walking often with resting as much as possible. I don’t have a lot to report because, although it was a busy day of various teams coming in and out, it was mostly fact-finding missions so everyone can start organizing his at-home strategy for when he’s ready to leave. 

By the time I get back to the hospital in the morning, he should be off all IVs (again) except for the bag of nutrients and calories that are picking up the slack until he is able to eat more than Ensure. We had a couple of different conversations with doctors who specialize in blood sugar management today and they’d like to reintroduce puréed/soft foods again so if the main surgeon approves, that may happen in the very near future. 

Michael’s vitals are still great and the doctors say the labs they’ve been watching are still trending the way they want them to. They’re still helping him shed the fluid he’s retaining but that’s just something that has to run its course over time. There are stronger medications they could use to speed up the process but that could upset the delicate balance of his lab work. Since the fluid retention isn’t anywhere near a dangerous level for him, they’d like to leave it to sort itself out as much as possible. 

I’ll be back tomorrow before visiting hours start so I can catch the lead surgeon again when he comes through on rounds. I’ll keep you posted shortly after. ❤️