Chemo take 2

Matthew had his 3rd round of chemo today. His platelet count was 85, which is definitely lower than we would like. They have been up and down quite a bit. Last week they were 124. He is doing fairly well with the treatments. His hair has thinned, but it hasn't all fallen out. Now it is just more like the thickness of most people. :-) His spirits are pretty good in general. I will post more when I know it.

185

I had lots of ideas for a brilliant blog post yesterday. However, if you aren't aware, I have a baby that is 4 weeks old today, and she had other plans for me. So I apologize for the delay. Matthew had his follow up at MDA yesterday. His platelet count was 185! That was higher than we have seen since this all began. He still is suffering from some abdominal and back cramping, but overall is improving. He is supposed to start a new regime of chemotherapy as soon as possible...most likely next week. Thank you for all of the continued prayers.

Waiting..

Sorry this is a bit delayed. Matthew was released from the hospital. He has been quite uncomfortable. His back has been cramping a lot. He has an spot at MDA tomorrow. Hopefully, his platelet count will be up! More to come...hopefully tomorrow.

Hello....Grey's Anatomy?

Since ER is off the air--Grey's--we might have some script ideas for you....  As our sister, Emily, says, "I am almost convinced my brother wants to be the muse of a medical drama writer."

Matthew is still at MD Anderson.  He is off of the pain pump, and on regular Tylenol.  Why Tylenol?  They use Tylenol to treat the fever that keeps spiking (last night 102).  Another issue is his resting heart rate, which has been 100 (upon entering the hospital it was 60).  This is down from previous numbers that kept setting off his alarms.  All of his tests, scans, and ekgs, have come back clear.  He has been up and walking around, and my Mom says that overall, he seems, "Much better."  They are thinking about starting antibiotics.

Another night

Matthew is having some trouble with pain/ pain management.  Therefore, he will be staying another night.  There are no other complications, and no other news at this time.

Overnight Stay

Matthew is having an overnight stay tonight, but unfortunately, it is not in a posh hotel.

The good news is, Matthew's procedure (partial splenic artery embolization) went well.  They were successful in getting his pain under control, and he was sleeping when my mom called around 8:00.  He has to stay overnight because the procedure requires that he lay flat for 6 hours.  This is because the procedure is done without any staples or stitches.  Although the procedure went well, we won't know the outcome (whether or not the platelet count rises) for a while yet (I don't know the time frame).

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.  If all goes as planned, he should head home in the morning.  I will update when I know more.

What doesn't kill us...

A couple of developments have occurred since my last post.  First, and most importantly, Matthew had a PET scan, and we found out that he was not in remission.  He has 3 tumors  in the colon area.  One of these is the spot that we had been watching and was not clear previously.  The report came in the mail without any additional information from the doctor.  Dad contacted MD Anderson, and has been waiting for more information.

 Today, they received final clarification on a procedure that is scheduled for Monday/Tuesday 4/23 and 4/24.  They will do a "partial splenic artery embolization" on Tuesday.  From research, and our understanding, this is a procedure that will hopefully result in decreasing the amount of platelets that are stored in his spleen, and possibly cut some of the blood flow to the tumors.  They are hoping that this procedure will help address his low platelet counts, and will allow for more chemo.  The procedure is supposed to be done with a catheter and should be outpatient.

So, unfortunately, the fight continues.  Pray that this procedure brings good results.