As many of you already know Matthew came through the surgery well. The surgery started about 7:45 this morning and ended up lasting until about 2:00. This was longer than originally anticipated, which caused a bit of "nail biting" for a while. The placement of the tumor and some major blood vessels resulted in the surgeon having to remove 75% of his liver, which was the maximum amount possible. The doctor went very slowly, and really took his time to minimize bleeding. As a result, Matthew did not need a transfusion during the procedure, which is good.
Matthew has woken up, but was very groggy. He was not able to get an epidural, as was originally planned, due to a low platelet count. This means that he has to rely on the morphine pump and IV medications for pain relief. The pain killers will keep him groggy, and are not ideal, but we hope this will be able to keep the pain in check. Pain and bleeding are some of biggest threats of this surgery.
Some good things. The liver was tested after surgery (don't ask me how), and was found to be functioning. Matthew's blood gasses also came back with good results. So, so far, we are on a good (although not short) road to recovery.
Dad took over at the hospital for tonight and through tomorrow. Mom will return for tomorrow night. Thanks again to everybody that has offered prayers, thoughts, and kind words of support today, and everyday. For now, I will say good night, and a thankful prayer. I know God guided that surgeon today.
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