The First Cut is the Deepest

***Warning****  There is an image of Matthew's incision at the bottom which the squeamish may want to avoid.  I have a feeling it is kind of like a car accident though....you can't help but slow down to take a look.

Matthew is doing very well.  Aunt Naomi and her husband, Uncle Vince, visited him Saturday evening. They reported that he walked quite a bit and seemed to be in good spirits.  He told them that he, "Has more bags than a bag lady."

The doctors are very pleased with his progress.  They actually considered releasing him today, but decided to wait until tomorrow to get one more set of test results. Matthew has been switched to oral pain medication.  The doctor came and pulled the drain for his liver cavity today.  He was sure that it would not be painful, but it put Matthew at level 10 on the pain scale.  The drain is the tube in the picture below.  I don't know the current schedule for follow up appointments or other treatment, but I will be sure to share as soon as I hear.

Thanks for all the wonderful wishes and thoughts. 

Day 2 After Surgery

I apologize that I missed posting yesterday....I was just wiped out.

Matthew was in a lot of pain yesterday, but today was a little better.  He got up and walked yesterday, and Mom said he walked at least 3 times today.  So far the doctor's are pleased with his vitals and test results. He started on clear liquids today, which is good progress as well.  It means that his body is starting to function as it should. 

In the next several weeks, Matthew will have to be on a very low fat and high protein diet.  The liver has to work very hard to process fats. 

Her is currently in room 514 at M.D. Anderson.  He is well on track to go home on Monday or Tuesday. 

As as side note, at times, Matthew will ask if anybody has anything to say on the blog.  If you would like to comment or send him a message, I will be sure to share it with him.

And Breathe Out

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. 

Prayers for Tomorrow

I thought about what I would write in this post several times throughout the day.  Each time I was a bit overwhelmed.  Tomorrow, my baby brother (OK, so he's bigger than me and 32 years old) is having surgery.  A big surgery. 

• Matthew will have 60% of his liver removed (it is possible to remove up to 75% since it regenerates)
• He is scheduled to arrive at 5:15 in the morning
• Surgery is scheduled for approximately 7:30
• The surgery is expected to take 4-5 hours
• He will probably be in the hospital for 6 days

If I am overwhelmed, I can't imagine how my parents are feeling, and I can't imagine how he must be feeling.

I spoke with Matthew this afternoon.  I asked him for a song that would characterize how he felt or what he was thinking about the surgery.  He told me to pick a song in another language.  I asked, "How would anybody know what it meant, and how do you know what it means?"  He said, "That's the point.  I don't know what it means, but that pretty much goes with how I feel...I don't know."

So, I decided to pick a song that I thought would characterize the strength and resilience Matthew has shown.  He just keeps going.

I know that he is in the best place he could possibly be for this procedure.  I ask that you keep Matthew in your thoughts and prayers.  I hope to post some good news tomorrow afternoon, although it might be a few days before we truly know how recovery will go.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers....the family is truly grateful. 

Radioactive?

Today's contribution comes from Dad.....

Last Tuesday Matthew went up to M. D. Anderson for a pre-surgery PET scan. That was fairly routine

but we really won't know any of the results until the next time we can talk to his doctors, which probably

won't be until after his surgery on the 20th.

 

On Wednesday Matthew took a load of scrap metal that he had been accumulating beside the garage

over to the recycling center, something he has done several times over the last three months. But

this time they flagged him over - their sensors reported he was carrying contraband radioactive material!

 

This was a surprise to Matthew. He knows that some small items like smoke detectors could cause this

but to the best of his knowledge he just had the same routine stuff as before. The recycling center

employees pulled out a Geiger counter and spent 15 minutes combing through his stuff looking for

the radioactive source. They finally located it - it was Matthew! Turned out to be residual radiation from

the small amount of radioactive tracer he had taken for the PET scan.

 

And, no, he doesn't glow in the dark.

 

 

and here is Emily's contribution.....

Fighting Cancer is as hard as herding cats....

A Bit More News

Results from the CAT scan came back.  The tumor has shrunk a bit more.  It is now approximately 4 cm.  This is a great thing!  On the downside, the unidentified spot on one of his lymph nodes also appeared to have shrunk.  This leads them (the doctors) to believe that this spot is most likely cancerous as well.  It is still unknown what will be done about this spot.  The PET scan has now been approved.  Matthew will go in for the PET scan tomorrow, and while we probably won't have results tomorrow, they should get some more information from this scan.  As of now, surgery is scheduled for the 20th---it is presently scheduled for 7:30, however, that will not be confirmed until the afternoon of the 19th.

For now, I will share that I remember Matthew having a Beach Boys tape when we were younger.  I will share this song, and ask that everybody keep the Good Vibrations coming.

Long Awaited Update

A few people have messaged me, wondering what is going on, and why I haven't posted more.  I returned back to work, and activities have resumed, so it has been on my to-do list for a while. 

Things have been quiet for Matthew lately.  He has been resting his body in preparation for surgery.  This means that he hasn't had any treatments or doctor visits lately, so there hasn't been much to share.  He has been continuing to work with our Dad to house repairs.  Most recently, he has painted some of his ceilings. 

Today, he had another round of tests at M.D. Anderson in preparation for the surgery.  He was scheduled to have a PET scan.   A PET scan is a nuclear medicine imaging technique.  In a PET scan, the cancer will actually "light up."  However, upon arriving at the hospital this morning they learned that the insurance placed a 72 hour review on the procedure.  Although not an outright denial, the timing did not allow for them to wait and reschedule.  Matthew ended up having another traditional CAT scan.  On Monday he will meet with the surgeon again in preparation for the surgery.  As of now, surgery is still scheduled for the 20th, so he is only 10 days away. 

Emily requested this song for Matthew.  "Now that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger."

More updates when we have more information.