Mike Kagerer

Hi everyone,

Well, Mike moved to 8-A yesterday.  He was still having serious bladder problems stemming from the BK Virus. 

I called him today and he sounded better than he has sounded in weeks! :)  He said they did a proceedure today on his bladder and got rid of all of the blood clots and such and he was feeling much better.  They wouldn’t let him get up and walk today because his white count is quite low.  He told me that PT will be coming in tomorrow and then he should be able to get up and do some walking, etc.  I am glad because when I go to see him next Wednesday I want him to walk the hall with me.

I was very relieved at how good he sounded.  Hopefully we have turned a big corner and he’ll be on the mend.

My family and I stopped to surprise Mom last night.  She was thrilled.  The guys played cards with her and we just visited.  It was good to be able to go see her one more time before school starts.  She is doing very well. 

Keep praying – we sure need it!  We still have some financial decisions to make and that is tough – but we can do this!!!

love, Ann

Hi Everyone,

Well, Mike made it to Day +100!!!!  I went to see him today and spend the day with him at therapy.  The following is a list of all the things Mike did on his own today.  He still needs some assistance or at least someone standing by – but he is really improving.
 -he walked with his walker
 -he went up and down 4 stairs
 -he stand down and got up from a regular chair (18″)
 -he stood and did his work for OT with weights on his wrists
 -he got into his bed and in and out of his wheelchair
 -he got on and off a commode
 -he got into and out of a symulation car

Not bad huh!!!!  Mike seems stronger than just last week when I saw him.  He is moving to 8-A tomorrow to try and get his bladder virus and other infection type stuff under control.  The hard thing about being off the rehab floor is that he’ll have to do his exercises and walk and remember to do them.  His memory is still very affected by all he’s been through. 

I asked the therapists if they could make a big chart with morning and afternoon activities on it to remind him and his aids/nurses about his therapy.  They were going to try and put something together.  If they don’t by next week when I visit again I will put something together and hang it up!  Such a nice sister I am.

Mom called while I was visiting Mike and talked to both of us.  She had another nosebleed during the night but was fine and able to go to her therapy today.  She is doing quite well.

Please continue to pray for all of us.  Many decisions need to be made soon and we want to make the right ones for Mike.  He’ll be on 8-A for a while – not sure what that means.  I’m looking into all of the financial end of things too.

Take care and I’ll be calling Mike everyday and try to blog to keep you all updated.  I may not be able to call him tomorrow as he’ll have a new phone number. 

love, Ann

Hi everyone,

Please hold all mail and telephone calls to Mike since he will most likely be moving back to 8-A on Thursday.  Tomorrow is his last day on the Rehab and he is still fighting the BK Virus (bladder issues) and really needs nursing care – so he is being bounced back to the BMT floor (8-A).  Also the nutritionist said that he isn’t eating enough yet.  He needs alot more protein for energy to exercise and for healing his skin sores.  Never thought I’d ever hear anyone say that a Kagerer wasn’t eating enough! ;)  At least he knows the staff on 8-A and it may be an easier transition.  He will begin private pay as of Friday though unless by some miracle his insurance company made a mistake and he has more coverage!!!  That would be awesome!

But, he needs to be there and so that’s where he’ll be.  I will be talking to staff tomorrow when i go to see him and see what the future holds.  They may have some ideas but it will probably be more the one day at a time thing!  Oh well.  That’s life at this moment.

Mom is doing fine.  Her therapist told her she didn’t need her wheelchair anymore but Mom doesn’t want to give it up because it is comfortable for her to use as a regular chair.  We’ll see if they let her just use it to sit in.  She is up and about more and that is just great.  I told her when she gets home we’ll have a party!  She loved that idea.

Well, take care and watch the contact page in the next few days for Mike’s new address and telephone number.  I’ll blog tomorrow after I get home from my visit with him.

Hi Everyone,

I talked to Mike tonight.  He was very tired.  He is still have some serious issues with his bladder.  He sounded like he might have a proceedure done tomorrow to address the issues.  He also said that three docs from the BMT team came in to check on his rash on his back.  They decided not to do anything at this time.

He did get to go to therapy today.  He was glad because yesterday he was having so many bladder problems that he wasn’t sure they’d let him go.  But he did and he said it went pretty good.

I am going on Wednesday and one of the Social Workers is trying to set up a meeting for me with some of his team so we can discuss the next step.  I have heard both from Mike and one of the Social Workers that he may need to go back to the BMT floor.  he hasn’t been moved yet but if he does go I will let everyone know through the blog.  His contact info would change again.

Mom is doing well.  She went to her therapy today and did alot of walking.  I hope it won’t be long and she’ll be back in her own home.

Thanks for all the prayers and support.  You are all so wonderful!

love, Ann

Hi Everyone,

I didn’t talk to Mike last night so I waited until today to blog.  I talked to him this afternoon and he has had to have that bladder proceedure again and now they have him cathed for a while.  He also said that the rash on his back may be the GVHD (Graft vs Host Disease) again.  Fun, fun.  He said that yesterday was pretty rough but he made it through.  He is hoping that he can continue his therapy tomorrow but isn’t sure.  A couple staff members told him he was going back to the 8th floor but I haven’t heard that yet and I am thinking they’ll let me know. 

I am going Wednesday to see him and hopefully speak in person to some of the Social Workers.  I know that they were thinking he was going to come to the farm this Friday but I sent an email to them to let all of Mike’s staff know that he cannot leave the hospital and come to any of our homes with the bladder issues that he has now.  He needs nursing care for those types of things. 

My boys and I went to see Mom today and they played cards with her and she loved that.  She thought she was having therapy today but she didn’t so she’ll wait till tomorrow.  She is getting much stronger and is able to stand without any assistance!  You go girl!

Thanks for your support and prayers.  Check out the new page on the website that Joe created – the “Timeline” page.  Joe went through the blog and put the important milestones on this page.

love, Ann

Hi Everyone,

Well, once again Mike is having troubles.  He now has a rash on his back and he is still having to be cathed to empty his bladder completely.  Also, the Social Worker on the Rehab floor called today and his time on rehab ends earlier than we thought.  His insurance allows him 30 days and that will end on Sept. 1.  He would need to make arrangements by the 31st. 

Lots of things up in the air.  Waiting to see if he can come here to the farm but don’t think that is the best choice for him.  He might be able to go to a Rehab place in Ann Arbor but it is like a nursing home and the BMT team wouldn’t like that choice either.  Too many chances for an infection and we know he seems to get them all.

If he stays on the Rehab floor or goes back to the BMT floor he will be private pay – probably around $3000. – $4000. a day.  Yep you read that right.  Mike does have some money but it won’t last long but then we’d have to apply for Medcaid (I believe that’s the one). 

So, as you can see there will be many decisions in the next week.  As far as Mike is concerned and his therapy, he is doing better.  Still quite weak but is able to get around better than even last week.  He would still need help with some things.  The urinary problems are a big issue and hopefully something will happen and straighten out in the next couple days.  Also the rash on his back being new needs to be tested.  Plus his Day +100 tests are coming due next week.

Please, pray that everything can be sorted out soon.  I will make all decisions with Mike’s best interest at heart.  Money isn’t everything!!! His recovery is the top matter and will be as far as I am concerned and I know my family feels the same way.

Thanks for all your support.  Really we do feel it and it really gets us through all these little ups and downs.

Mom is doing better.  Her nosebleed is taken care to and she went to her therapy today.  The boys and I are heading to see her on Sunday.  I probably won’t get to see Mike until Wednesday the way the week looks now.

love, Ann

Hi Everyone,

I talked to Mike and Mom between storms tonight. 

Mike said he did pretty good in his therapy sessions today.  When he got back this afternoon the Urologist came and cleaned out his bladder.  Doesn’t sound fun and it really wasn’t!  Mike has been fighting the BK Virus for some time.  It got better (but didn’t really go away completely) and than it flared up again.  Lately he tries to pee and then they scan his bladder and it still is very full.  Then he has to be cathed because there are large bloodclots that are obstructing the path out!  So, the Urologist decided today that enough was enough and went in and cleaned Mike’s  bladder out.  Mike is still sore but will hopefully be able to empty his bladder completely now and also get rid of this virus. 

I haven’t heard anything from any of the Social Workers yet as to plans for Mike after his hospital rehab is finished so I’m just waiting.  I may try and call someone next Monday to see what is going on.

Mom called me around noon today and said that she missed her therapy because she got a nosebleed at 8am and they were still working on it.  They packed her nose as her doc advised.  When I called her tonight it was still packed.  She sounded pretty good but did miss all of her therapy today and she didn’t like that.  I told her missing one day would be fine – she’d bounce right back tomorrow! 

She is not one to sit around too much so to just be sitting around all day was hard for her.  Hopefully in the morning her nose will cooperate and she’ll be back to rehabing!!

Thanks for your support and prayers.  I do believe that Mike and Mom are doing as well as they are because of all of you!!!!!  They feel very much loved.

Talk to you tomorrow.  love, Ann

Hi Everyone,

I am blogging quick tonight because there is a big storm rolling in and I want to shut down the computer.

I went to see Mike today and left a big list of questions for his Social Worker so that I can start preparing for his departure from the hospital in a couple weeks.  Depending on where he is going to go it may take that long to get things in order.

The therapists are talking about him possible coming to stay with me and my family.  She asked me a bunch of questions today and I told her things that she needed to find out also.  A lot depends on the BMT team and whether or not it would be ‘safe’ for Mike here due to the fact that we having a working farm with animals.  Also it depends on whether or not he needs to be going to continuous therapy.  If he needs regular therapy then he will go to another facility in Ann Arbor for a time.

He worked on the stairs today in therapy but said that he fell up them and onto his therapist (who is this cute, petite girl).  He said she wasn’t injured and neither was he.  I quess he will be working a little more on strengthening the old thigh muscles!!  Other than that his therapy went fine today.

I haven’t talked to mom yet today and so I’ll let you know how she is doing tomorrow.

Thanks for the prayers and support.  Please send a few up for me and my family as we try to get ready for the possiblity of Uncle Mike staying with us.  I think the boys will be fine.  They are at the ages that they can be of help.  Bruce will handle it fine – he is very layed back.  Anyway, I’m the hyper one so I’m sure it will be a little more stressful for me.

Thanks again.  Talk to you tomorrow. love, Ann

Hi Everyone,

Mom called me this noon and was having a good day.  She is progressing quite well and the therapist are very encouraged by her progress.

I talked to Mike this evening and he had just finished dinner.  He said he had a good visit with Sara and Ron last night.  They stayed about an hour before heading home to Ohio.

Mike said that he is back dealing with the BK Virus and some other infections.  It will be hard for him until next May when he can begin his immunizations.  His amunity level is pretty much non existant so he’ll have to be extra careful about infections and such.  He said he went to therapy and that he had some good sessions.  He worked on his had exercises in OT and I teased him about making me a rug or something!! 

I am going to head to Ann Arbor in the morning and spend most of the day with him.  Hopefully I’ll get to one of his morning therapy sessions, but if not maybe I’ll stay for an afternoon one. 

Thanks for the continued support!  I know Mike is very aprreciative.

love, Ann

Hi everyone,

I only spoke very briefly to Mom and Mike this evening.  They both seemed to be doing well.  Mike had a big day at therapy and is having problems again with the old BK virus.  Not fun.  It has to do with your urinary tract.  So, hopefully they’ll be able to get that under control.

Our cousins, Ron and Sara, were out from Ohio with their dogs!  They visited Mom in Flushing, then headed to our farm for an afternoon lunch and visit, and then headed to see Mike at U of M.  It was good to see them and I will be glad to hear their thoughts on Mike once they visit with him.

Talk to you tomorrow.  Thanks for the prayers and support.  Almost to Day +100.

love, Ann