Friday Evening

Sorry about the lack of posting. There is no wireless connection in the PICU and we have been busy and tired otherwise.

It turns out that what sent Matt to the PICU is the flu. All of the testing indicates that this is what is infecting him. There are still a few cultures outstanding but they are not likely to yield anything new. The good news is that he is responding well to the treatment. They have been able to take him off the blood pressure support meds (norepi and dopamine) and are in the process of weaning him from the vent. When he is off the vent for 24 hours, he can go back to his regular room.

Matt has been very tired and has been sleeping a lot since Wed nite. From what I've heard this flu is a real tough one and when you combine that with Matt's already weakened state, it makes for a very bad feeling body. Oh and on top of all that, he's on chemotherapy!

Speaking of chemo, he got 1 of 1 planned doses of Carboplatin and 1 of 3 planned doses of Etoposide this chemo round. The docs have decided not to give the rest of the etoposide this round because of the flu. He is going to get the rescue drugs when the time is right. Matt also received 2 units of whole blood today because his counts were low. He had to get both blood and platelets during the first round at JH so this is not unexpected.

Noel and I were able to get away and go to David's basketball game this evening. We checked with Matt's nurse and he was doing well.

We hope to have him back in his normal room on Sunday. In the meantime, you are welcome to visit him in the PICU if you're not sick. You'll have to wear a mask while you're in there and only two are allowed at a time so please call before you come up (Noel- 606-8014, John - 920-9514).