Finally some good news! Erik is feeling so much better and is so much more stable, that they've ok'd him to be discharged. He'll be moving to in-home hospice at my house on Sunday! If all goes well, his ultimate goal is to continue hospice and move back into his own home.
His doctors think that the really bad symptoms he had in the hospital were made worse by the trial and chemo drugs, and now that those are out of his system, we can see the natural progression of the cancer itself. Through that lens, he's much weaker and more tired than he was before the treatment period. He's on oxygen all the time, his temperature does fluctuate a bit, and he does still cough a fair amount, especially when he tries to carry on a whole conversation. But they've dialed in his medication so his pain is way down - he feels pretty good most of the time, and he's been able to actually sleep well the last couple nights, which is so nice. He walked out to the patio using crutches yesterday, but wanted the wheelchair for today's outing to the living room for a game of Scrabble. (Which, had we been keeping score, he might have won, since he racked out once and had a bunch of 6 letter words!) That little jaunt wore him out, but he likes to be away from his bed a couple times a day at least.
We're so looking forward to having him home! The hospice people are going to deliver a bed, oxygen, and other equipment he'll need, and they'll have a team of a doctor, nurse, CNA/helper, and social worker to give us whatever support we need, 24/7. It's a wonderful system, and we're so happy that it's there for him. We are going to miss a lot about Hopewell House, though. It's a beautiful place, and the staff, the volunteers, and the other patients and their families are so kind - we've made some good friends and learned so much that's helped us on this journey.
I'm in awe - he's such a fighter! Two weeks ago I wouldn't have believed we'd ever be back to this point. I'm so grateful for everyone's help, and for your continued support! I know that your love and energy are helping us all.
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