The more aggressive treatment is producing results. Charlie has lost seven pounds since he entered the hospital yesterday. He is not yet comfortable, but the loss is encouraging. Being in the hospital where his blood profile can be tested as often as needed, the doctors are able to give him larger doses of the diuretic Lasix. (Lasix is widely used in horse racing and is often thought to be performance enhancing, so this regimen has been the subject of a few bad family jokes.)
Another very good medical development is that the incision wound has healed to such an extent that use of the wound V.A.C. is no longer necessary or even feasible. This means the wound is well on the way to being completely healed. An additional bonus is that Charlie no longer has any external equipment to carry around with him.
