Greg is going home!

Hello to all,

Greg just called and said that he is being discharged! The cardiac biopsy showed a level 1 rejection, which is permissable. I'm not certain, but from what I remember hearing back in January when they were doing the inital transplant teaching, I think I remember them saying that they want to see a low degree of rejection since they then know that they haven't completely wiped out his immune system. They seek to walk a fine line of keeping him immune suppressed and also allowing him to be able to have SOME degree of reaction to a foreign body in his system. So, perhaps this is it? Regardless, it is acceptable for him to go home and he does not have to undergo a biopsy next week since he has had two good biopsies. He will have an appt at the transplant clinic though and will have lab work done.

He sounded exhausted when he called. The day has been FULL thus far and he still needs to get home! The therapist came this morning and worked with him to successfully be able to stand up out of the chair, but, since the chair he has at home is even lower, Elise went this afternoon and bought a lift chair/ recliner which will be awesome for him. Some of the CRU staff are going to pick it up at deliver it to their apartment this afternoon - how wonderful!

He failed his step training, so he will be taken home by a professional wheelchair/ ambulance service who will carry him into the apartment. He sounded a bit breathless on the phone, so I hope his discharge at this time is a wise thing, but we can only depend on the wisdom of the doctors who have directed him so excellently all this time. He will receive services from visiting nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, so hopefully all will go well and he will recover even faster in the quiet and peace of their home.

I asked Greg about his blood count and chest xray and he hurredly said that they were fine. He was just kind of exhausted and couldn't talk any more, so I hope that all is stable in those areas also and trust that they must be for him to be getting discharged.

As Elise mentioned in her blog post last night, although they are so looking forward to being home together after two months, there is a certain degree of anxiety associated with discharge from the hospital and the safety of having staff there any time they need help. Will you please pray for a smooth transition home today - that Greg would experience physical, emotional and mental peace through the whole thing and that Elise would also feel comfortable and confident in him being there? Also, please pray that the home health professionals assigned to them would be clinically excellent, kind, compassionate and efficient?

We continue to trust that this is God's perfect plan and timing for him to be released today and I pray that it is a sweet, wonderful homecoming for them both.

I'll let you know as I hear any more! As always, thank you for your prayers!

Love,

Becky