All in all, it's been a better day. They gave Tanner a platelett transfusion yesterday and that always gives him a "boost" the next day. Seeing if he feels better tomorrow will be the real test after he's 48 hours post transfusion.

The only real problem he's had today is that his back is hurting. When we told the nurse about it at the hospital today, she said that's a good thing because it means his body's bone marrow is producing new stem cells and is a "good pain". As the day has gone by and the pain has worsened, he's not so sure how "good" it is. He asked me why it would be just one spot in his back that is spasming and that he's going to ask the nurse that question in the morning.

I just got back from Walgreen's and bought him a heating pad. He said it "melted the pain". He didn't sleep much last night because of the pain, so he wants to take something to relax him before bed. I hope he doesn't have another really bad night.

His numbers are rising but are nowhere near high enough for him to go home yet. Hopefully, they will start rising by leaps and bounds. His white blood count has to reach a 2.0 (today they were .41) and his plateletts have to be 50 (they were 29 today - but that's a day after transfusion so they will most likely drop a little before they rise back up again). He will have to hit those numbers before they will take his triple lumen line out and they don't do that on the weekend so if he doesn't hit them by Friday, then it will be Monday at the earliest before we could leave.

Of course, now that Dr. Barlogie has said "discharge on Thursday", Tanner really, really wants to leave ON THURSDAY. He asked me today if we could leave Thursday - even if it's late after they get the lines out. He said he could "help drive" and that he needs only one leg to drive. Like I could relax with Tanner driving with one leg in a cast!!