News from Farm Street

For those of you who haven't heard (which means for those of you whose phone number my mother doesn't have), we have had a topsy-turvy week here at Farm Street. Matt went in to the emergency room on Easter Sunday (April 16) with some abdominal pain. Because he had been showing symptoms of jaundice, he had already recently been tested for many viral forms of hepatitis and for mono and other viruses that can affect the liver. All of these tests had come back negative and the doctors had not been able to determine the cause of his yellowing. At the ER on Sunday, they discovered that he had very high levels of pancreatic enzymes in his blood. Normal lipase levels are usually between 114 and 256- Matt's were around 7400. They transferred him via ambulance (I am told that, disappointingly, neither lights nor sirens were used for the trip) to another hospital and then yet again that same night to another building. They thought it very likely that he had a gallstone blocking his bile duct and did a procedure called an ERCP on Monday to investigate the area using tiny cameras and maybe some sort of robot or teeny tiny little guy in a very small spaceship.

What they found, much to their surprise, was a tumor. They performed a biopsy to assess the pathology of the tissue and a CT scan to view the extent of the tumor. Matt has since undergone a colonoscopy (ugh. do you know about these? seriously, the only thing i can say is "ugh."), extensive bloodwork, stomach x-rays, and numerous meals of jello and broth. The doctors now know that there are two cancerous tumors, each about 2 cm in diameter. They are pinching his bile duct (and by "they" I mean the tumors, not the doctors), preventing digestive enzymes from entering his colon, which is what caused the symptoms of hepatitis and pancreatitis. The tumors are highly differentiated, which means that prospects for successful removal are high and it is NOT anticipated that Matt will need to undergo chemotherapy following the surgery.

Matt is coming home this morning after five days of enforced captivity and is looking forward to opportunities to be outside and to eat real food again. The surgery is scheduled for May 11 (that date sound familiar?) and he'll probably be recuperating throughout the rest of May and early June.

My mom was here for a couple of days to make fruit salad and provide moral support- it was great to know that she was holding down the fort while I spent a couple of nights at the hospital with Matt, and that the fort was well defended, as Scout was here too. Matt's sister Bekah flew in from Wyoming and will be staying with us on Farm Street through the weekend. And the rest of Matt's family has been making frequent trips down from New Hampshire to see him. Between us all, we've provided a mighty support system for him as well as increased revenues for the burrito place around the corner from the hospital.

Thanks to everyone who has called or sent their good thoughts and hope our way. It sounds crazy to say that things are good, but we've come a long way in understanding Matt's status since the discovery of the tumors on Monday. The doctors are very optimistic about his potential for a full recovery and while we were hoping to get the surgery over with right away, the next three weeks will give us some time to relax, enjoy spring, and perhaps fatten him up just a bit. Matt was definitely not in need of a five-day fast to slim him down.

I'll do my best to keep everyone posted as to his health and the status of his recovery. I am confident that we are all going to be just fine.