Since the good news of the MRI results last Friday, we have continued to see small improvements from Marty everyday. On Monday some were able to witness Marty walk from his room to the nurses station, right outside of his room with a walker and two physiotherapists on either side of him. Tuesday was a beautiful day here and Marty was able to get into his wheelchair and sit outside in the "wellness garden" and enjoy the sun for about 20 minutes in the afternoon. He also had an ultrasound of his liver done on Tuesday. His liver enzymes were elevated over the weekend and the oncologist wanted to be sure that this was a result of the chemotherapy and not because he had any blockages or gallstones. The results came in later that day and everything looks normal. Since then the liver enzymes have come down slowly every time the blood work results have come back. Your liver functions to filter all your toxins out of your blood so it is very important that it is working properly. The chemotherapy drugs that Marty is on are very hard on the liver and so the oncologist was just being extra thorough in ordering this liver ultrasound. The liver enzymes need to come down a little more yet before they will start a third round of chemo. The oncologist, in consultation with the neurologist have also decided to wean Marty off one of the two of the anti-seizure medications (Tegretol) he is on. They will keep a close eye on Marty during this process to make sure he's not having any seizures. Tegretol is also very hard on your liver so the doctors are thinking to remove any medication that might be causing unnecessary stress on the liver.
The Speech Language Pathologist has also come by again to see Marty eat. She is happy with his progress and he is now allowed 3 different items per meal time. He still has to be very careful when eating and sometimes is unable to swallow his food but then he just spits it out and tries to swallow the next bite.
Tomorrow morning it is expected that Marty will have his trach corked. This means that all airflow will come in and out through his nose and mouth. This should be more comfortable for Marty as the air will be humidified, as the natural process, through his nose and mouth as he breaths in. It should also decrease his cough. Though the doctors have not talked about taking the trach out completely this is one more step for Marty in the right direction. We are thankful to our heavenly Father for allowing us to witness these positive improvements in Marty's health and continue to acknowledge that He is in complete control.
"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." -- Psalm 106:1
Amanda
Dear Marty,Erica and Family,
ReplyDeleteAlthough Marty is still seriously ill,we rejoice with you in the small improvements in his health.
We hope and pray that the Lord will grant complete healing and surround all of you with His love and care. We remember Marty and all of you in our thoughts and prayers.
Yours in the Lord,
John and Theresa van Doodewaard
Dear Toet Family: We thank the LORD that there have been positive outcomes for Marty, in both test results and physical activities. We continue to remember you all in our prayers and we are thankful that we can leave all things in the hands of our Heavenly Father. Sending our best to you all!
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