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Karl is home! He will give himself infusions of antibiotics every eight hours for the next two weeks, but that sure beats being in the hospital. He is still very puffy from all of the fluid they gave him. In fact, he's not sure he can transfer himself into his wheelchair because his joints are so stiff. However, he is confident that will remedy itself soon -- within a day or two -- and he'll be able to get back to some sense of normalcy.

I haven't talked to any doctors so I'm not sure what the consensus on Karl's diagnosis is, but based on piecing together what he's told me, it sounds as if there were a few issues that when put together, were a nasty mix. We know he definitely had pneumonia that went septic. Whether it started here in Michigan or Maui is unknown and moot. His kidneys were affected by the sepsis and began to shut down. In Maui they gave Karl antibiotics and steroids. U-M docs think the folks in Maui didn't keep him on the antibiotics long enough and had him on the steroids too long which means the pnemonia didn't go away completely and his kidneys could never get back in the fully-functioning mode. Of course there was the whole allergic reaction in Maui for which U-M doctors could offer no explanation. Regardless, Karl is now home and doing much much better. All of his levels are near or at normal.

His mood is getting better each day, but you can imagine how depressing this must be for Karl. At this point he says he'll never go on another vacation and instead of a tropical paradise, he thinks Maui is, well, quite the opposite. I'm sure as time goes by the bad memories will fade and he'll change his mind. Plus, we'll be working on him.

We know without a doubt that your prayers were instrumental in helping Karl get better. We are so thankful for your love and concern.

Blessings,

Kerry