A Happier Keith

Here's Keith, taken this afternoon.  We're so very pleased that he's looking this great, and that his hearty appetite is slowly returning.  We know that will only improve his situation.  The pediatrician wants to see him walking around, as he is wobbly on his feet, and she wants him to start drinking on his own.  They decreased his IV fluid intake in the hope that this will encourage him that direction.

The hematology report wasn't as rosy.  His neutrophil count didn't drop, but it also didn't improve.  As well, there are some underlying liver issues that need to resolve before he's allowed to go home.  They're still working to rule out Microphage Activation Syndrome (MAS), for which he meets some of the criteria, but not all.   MAS could have been triggered by the viral infection, which still tops the list of their theories as to what befell Keith.  In any case, they believe that should his neutrophil levels reach an acceptable level (his is 0.2, and they should be over 1.0), Keith can be seen as an outpatient at the Hematology clinic.  In fact, we were given our first glimmer of hope today that Keith would be out before the weekend!

It was wonderful leaving his room with a smile on my face.

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Unfortunately, today's hematology report wasn't any improved on yesterday's.  The neutrophil and platelet counts were exactly the same, or lower.  Keith is still perking up very nicely, so we know he feels better; but his body is very much still in recovery mode.  With a neutrophil level like his, his immune system is almost non-existent, so if they were to send him home, he'd be laid flat by the next little sniffle he caught.  If we allow for a few days for the levels to improve, we're now inching closer to the end of the week, and we're worried that a Friday release is becoming a bit of a pipe dream.  Looking forward to seeing Keith tonight, and giving him an enormous kiss n hug.