Hello~

Mandy had a lot more information to share today; some good, some not so good. Again, please bear with me if I don't have medical terminology exactly right.

Chris and Mandy got the MRI results this morning and the results confirmed the infection around the metal plate in Chris' arm, but the MRI also showed new tumor growth. The new tumor growth is approximately 10 cm and is near the humoral head, which is very close to the previous tumor location. The doctors are considering sugery this week to remove the metal plate and the tumor, and they would need to do a partial shoulder replacement at the time of tumor removal because to remove the tumor, they will need to remove the entire humoral head. However, no surgery will be scheduled until the infection is cleared up, so this is the most critical thing we can pray for right now. The doctors do feel that the infection is improving even though the infection has spread up Chris' arm and into the back of his neck. The infection must be clear before surgery because they cannot put the new prosthetic into the infected area. Chris is being given many pain medicines and antibiotics and is being kept comfortable.

The doctors have called in the infectious disease department and it will be those representatives and the orthopedic surgeon who will decide when the surgery can be scheduled.

Some good news is that Chris' red and white blood counts are both good! He is still having some nausea, but has been able to keep a liquid diet down. The GI doctor is monitoring the abdominal situation, but again, they have to get the infection under control before proceeding to treatment on any other issue. Basically, the order is 1) infection, 2) arm surgery (metal plate and tumor removal) and 3) deciding what to do about the abdominal tumors.

Mandy said that they plan to be in the hospital for at least another week, maybe longer. Chris seems to be feeling better and the pain meds have the pain level down from what it's been over the past few weeks. An additional CT scan will be done prior to surgery to verify that the infection is clear.

Mandy mentioned that they are getting new information almost constantly and that has been a real roller coaster ride for them. They are just bombarded with new and ever-changing information and it's been hard for them to process it all. She has asked for prayer for peace of mind for both of them and also for wisdom in making medical decisions. Chris needs to have restful sleep and with the amount of pain medicines he has to take, he is often hallucinating and restless.

Through all of this, though, Mandy has said that the nurses and hospital staff have been awesome. Nurses come from different areas of the building to check on Chris and they are constantly telling him that he is their favorite patient. The family is definitely being lifted up by these caring doctors and nurses -- so that is a huge praise.

As Mandy said, this is an ever-changing situation, so if additional information becomes available, I will send it out as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your prayers.

~Kathie