Discharge and Departure

After a three-and-a-half day stay in the hospital, Dad was discharged from Seton Medical Center on Monday (May 4) in the early afternoon. Over the weekend he received a total of four units of whole blood and at least one unit of platelets. By Sunday, all of his blood numbers were acceptable with the exception of his platelets, which were still well below normal. Drs. Moskowitz and Weber both expressed satisfaction with his condition and explained that his platelet count was moving in the right direction and his body would continue to regenerate platelets as time goes on. They also both condoned his discharge from the hospital as well as his planned trip to Missouri on May 5.

Even though his blood numbers are OK, he continues to feel very fatigued and his appetite was almost nonexistent until Monday afternoon. He has been experiencing a strange sensation when starting to eat, with hot flashes, flushing, clamminess, etc. either after the first bite or even when seeing food. This sensation has been decreasing and he has been able to work through it when eating. He also has some pain in his lower back that appears to be muscular in nature.

His fatigue and appetite have been slowly improving and after much consideration, the decision was made for him to travel to Missouri on Tuesday, as scheduled. After a delay of several hours, his flight left SFO for St. Louis at 4:51 PM Pacific time, projected to land at about 10:12 PM Central.