Mixed News

We had a video chat yesterday with Matthew for his birthday.  He actually seemed to be in pretty good spirits.  He was making jokes and trading silly faces with the kids.  That was really good to see.  He said he even got some MD Anderson approved cake.  I shared each of the birthday wishes for them, and he was very grateful and appreciative of them all. 

The CT scan results were not the best.  They scanned the two "pools" that were being drained.  The lower pool still showed a "residual blob" of old blood from the first surgery.  This will not drain very well.  The doctor may decide to try to flush the area by pushing saline through the drain into the cavity.  However, that is still undecided.

His bowel is not quite functioning yet, but the scan suggested that they may just need to try a larger dose of milk of magnesia.

The chest x-ray was not completely clear either. The bottom of one side did not look fully inflated or clear.  They want Matthew to use his Spirometer (this little tube thing you have to blow into) more frequently to exercise his lungs.

On the plus side, they were concerned about his bladder being enlarged, but the scan on that came back fine. His morning vitals were good.  His oxygen levels were running around 90% but they were up to 97%.  His pulse, which had been in the 120s, was down to about 86. 

He also attended Mass in the chapter this morning.  He walked down to the chapel on his own, which is probably as far as his usual walk around the 5th floor. However, he also was able to make it back about 45 minutes later. He was able to do this without having to take a pain pill right before the trip.

His overall pain levels seem to be down, and his spirits are better overall.  Mom reports that other than the walk, today was also the first day that he felt "up to" watching TV.  

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring some more good news.