The Medical Drama Continues...

The Fighting Noodle!

Let's start with the good news!  Despite the set backs, Matthew's liver has continued to regenerate.  It is already at 50%, which is double what it was after surgery.   

Matthew had a CT scan today to check his bowel for kinks.  The scan did not turn up any kinks, which is also good news.  They also were able to observe some things that indicate his bowels are in working order, they just need more time. 

Finally, the CT scan revealed that Matthew probably DOES NOT have pneumonia. The CT scan did reveal a pocket of fluid in the upper abdomen.  The doctor believes that this may have formed around a hematoma that was a result of the first surgery.  The doctor believes that this is the cause of both Matthew's high pain levels and fever. 

As a result, Matthew will have a tube drain inserted first thing tomorrow morning. This drain should be smaller than the previous drain, so hopefully it will not cause much discomfort, but will provide some relief.  At this point, we are unsure about the timeline for release.  He will need to be fever free for 24 to 36 hours before release.  

Now that they know what is causing the problem, hopefully Matthew will get some MUCH NEEDED relief.  

Hopefully, I will have some good news to post tomorrow!

About Last Night

Matthew had a rough night last night.  His fever has spiked again, but is down to 99.5 with Tylenol.  Matthew (and Dad) slept for maybe an hour last night.  The doctor came in at 6:00, and said that the antibiotics would take about 24 hours to start working, so hopefully they will kick in this afternoon.

Another complication has to do with Matthew's bowel.  They have not really "woken up" after surgery.  They are doing a CT scan today to check for kinks.

Thanks for the continued prayers.

Parole denied

Matthew has pneumonia.  His fever broke last night, but they decided to go ahead and put him on antibiotics and breathing treatments.  He is feeling slightly better than yesterday, but is pretty beat down. 

The doctors are not overly concerned--apparently this is a common complication. They have decided to keep him for two or three more days at this point.  I know he is just sick and tired of being sick and tired.

 I will check with Dad in the morning and will post if there is any significant change.

Downturn

After the good news this morning, Matthew took a downturn this afternoon.  Ever since his drain was pulled he has been in more pain.  His fever has gone up, and his heart rate got really high.  They have ordered a bunch of tests to see if they can figure out what was going on.  Mom is with him tonight, and the doctor has been in to see him.  Hopefully, they will have some answers soon. 

I did speak with him, and shared everything that was written on the blog or my Facebook page so far.  Continued prayers are needed! 

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.