The recovery phase is going very slowly. Al still isn't able to eat much without it irritating his mouth and throat. He has lost a good 45 lbs so far. He can eat very small amounts of soft food. He still constantly watches the food network. He just decreased his pain medicine and says it feels like there is a knife stuck in his throat. We saw the doctor on Friday and he said that Al's throat still looks raw and inflamed. It'll just take time to heal. We didn't get the test results back yet, so we are waiting to see how his kidneys are doing. His energy level is increasing and he has even been able to mow the yard these past 2 weekends. He does have to take a break in between to avoid passing out. We also celebrated his birthday last week. He couldn't even have a piece of cake.