My hemoglobin number went up to 8.7! It was the first time that it increased without a transfusion of any kind. My platelet count was still low, but not dangerous, and 8.7 still isn’t very high for hemoglobin, but my body’s version of “high”/”normal” is going to be different than a healthy person’s.
The doctor cleared me for discharge around 4:00 PM. Earlier in the day even I was switched from “SBA” to “Independent” and was able to go to the bathroom on my own and walk to the gift shop with my mom. By 1:00 they gave me my last round of steroids and then removed my IV. Soon after they took off my portable heart monitor and let me change back into real clothes!
When I was discharged, my urine was still a little orange, but my stomachache, muscle fatigue, and jaundice were gone. We stayed at a local Hampton Inn for the night to relax before driving back to NJ on Thursday. I’ll know more once we see the hematologist on Tuesday! Fingers crossed that the steroids are enough to have normalized my platelets and RBCs.