Must be time to go home cause I'm almost out of chocolate

Eric called me first thing this morning to brag that his neutrophil count was .6!  Incredible!  The head doctor visited with us today to share the good news that now that Eric's count is .5 or higher, he is considered "engrafted."  That means Debbie's stem cells have taken hold and are growing rapidly enough that they can measure the growth.

Eric still has to be weaned away from his IV stand, which is all that is preventing him from going home.  He has become so attached to it over the past month!  Today they took away his IV nutrition bag because Eric can now consume enough calories on his own.  He isn't quite up to drinking enough water for them to take away his hydration bag, but should be there tomorrow.  And then it is a matter of changing all of his IV medications to pills.  Some of the pills are hard on the system so it takes a little time for the adjustment.

The most exciting news from the doctor was that Eric could leave the 8th floor of LDS hospital and go outside!  Eric entered the hospital on August 19, and now on September 18, he was able to finally exit the hospital.  For the past few weeks Eric has had to wear a gown over his clothes, a mask with a filter, and gloves every time he left his room.  The doctor told him if he dressed up in all his protective gear he could leave the building as long as he stayed on the hospital property.  I think the doctor thought Eric would stand in the entryway of the hospital, smell the fresh air through his filter, and come back in since he was still attached to his IV pole.  Not our Eric!  With two of his walking buddies he made a run for it and walked several blocks, dressed in his protective gear and dragging an IV stand!

To quote the doctor, it is possible that Eric will be discharged Friday but probable that he will be discharged on Monday.  Discharging a bone marrow transplant recipient is cumbersome, so they don't tend to do it on the weekend.  Either way, we are pretty excited to think that our hospital stay is almost over.  Good thing, because I am almost out of chocolate!  (Not a plea for more chocolate.  Eric is the one who needs to gain weight, not me!)