We had two pieces of good news today. First, one of Michael’s three drains was removed today because the fluid it was collecting from one of the three places in his abdomen is now under control. The fact that his body is manufacturing less fluid means he’s one step closer to getting rid of the infection entirely, however it is definitely under control — which brings me to the other good news.
Sometime in the next couple of days, Michael is moving to the rehabilitation facility next door to the main hospital. It has on-site nurses to monitor everyone but the move signals that he is well enough to no longer be considered a medical patient. His surgical team will still come by daily to see him and check his drains but he is doing so well that he no longer needs 24/7 medical monitoring in a hospital environment.
It seems a surprising thing to say considering he’s still in ICU but, as I’ve mentioned, that was less about medical necessity and more about minimizing his chances of picking up any germs that would interfere with clearing up his existing infection. After several days of strong vitals and great lab work, his doctors believe he no longer needs such an extreme level of protection.
During Michael’s month of hospitalization and varying degrees of medical concerns, he lost a lot of muscle mass and is not as physically strong as he was when he arrived. Although he’s able to walk and such, he definitely needs to be more steady on his feet before coming home so rehab is the right move.
They will work with him several hours a day to help him regain his strength and be sure he is able to care for himself with minimal assistance, which greatly reduces the chance of any backsliding when he returns home. It’s possible his rehab stay could be as long as two weeks, but we won’t really know until he gets there and spends a couple of days being assessed by the staff experts. After that, we’ll have a clearer picture of what his rehab timeline will be.
We are both very excited at this latest turn of events. As the doctors mentioned today, Michael is right at the goal line with this part of his recovery and rehab is the final piece of his Miami journey. He will still need plenty of time to get back to fighting fit when he gets home, but by then the hardest part of all of this will be well behind him. ❤️
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Such great news and so glad he is doing so well. I have the wheel chair and I will share my Walker with him. I have to keep the three wheel one as that is the one I use when I go out. The one from Pat is a good one with a seat and heavy duty..and if you need the lift chair We would have to get someone to move it. I do not use it much now and have another chair I can put where it is now. That way if you get tired you can just recline the whole thing. I slept in it for four months and it is not to bad at all.
You can figure all that out when the time comes.
I guess you are eating real food now but are you on a restricted diet? I am sure there will be things like spicy stuff that might bother you. Guess it is a trial basis at this point.
So glad things are going so well right now and looking forward to to getting you back home again. Know all of your fur babies will be glad you are back too.
Have a good day tomorrow and looking forward to more good news. Love ya
That’s great news! Folks on our team at Grow were asking after him yesterday and send best wishes. Let him know he’s missed very much.
Hurrah!! Great news! Rehab will do wonders for him and show him the best ways to work out. So happy for you both!
What great news!!! Looking forward to hearing about Michael’s continued recovery. So glad things are progressing well! You’re both in our thoughts! Sending lots of love, Kimachu & John