One Step Closer to Home

Hello everyone. I want to thank everybody for their your thoughts and prayers. It's really meant a lot to myself and my family. I'd especially like to thank all of the Campbells, Floras, Gotschs, Hesters, Wisthuffs, Rexeisens, Moeschbergers, Louis, and the Guidos who all went together and purchased me the laptop that I'm using to write this.

Sara has returned to NC, my parents back to IL and Melissa is getting back to work again so I'll try to keep everyone updated on my progress.

I have had quite a bit of progress in the last two days but wanted to let it all play out before posting.

As Melissa said, we've been having some trouble with my insurance accepting my next step of rehab. All of the medical professionals agreed that I needed to go into an acute rehab center which would give me the attention and therapy I am requiring to get stronger. United Healthcare (my insurance provider) wanted to send me to a nursing home since it'd be cheaper. Melissa had done a lot of asking around and settled on Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana on the west side of Indianapolis as our preferred acute rehab facility so a representative came up and talked with us yesterday around 3pm. She made some calls and by 5:30 we were approved by insurance, accepted by RHI and my discharge papers were signed. I was transferred down here early this afternoon. The goal set forth by my hematologist is to be able to walk into his office and sit down under my own strength in his office on March 29. If I'm able to do this, they will check me in for ~4days and give me my first round of maintenance chemo through an IV, the same way they had done before which worked extremely well. If I am not strong enough by then, they will have to back down the dosage and administer it differently. So that's my goal, getting walking in 4 weeks.

Now I said that there was a lot of good news and this is true. Not only did we get over the insurance obstacle yesterday, but I also was able to transfer myself to a wheel chair, stand up and take my first steps (with the help of a walker and two physical therapists). I don't remember sweating so much last time I walked...

I start the intense rehab tomorrow morning at 6am so I'm going to roll over on my good ear and try to block out my roommates blaring tv and get some sleep. I'll write an update tomorrow with a summary of how therapy went, if I don't end up sleeping the rest of the day.


Eric