Suction, Suction, Suction

I really don't know if I need to post much more than the title for an update. After removing the breathing tube it has really just been a day of sucking out Jared's whole body. For all who have not had the experience that Jared is going through I will elaborate a bit.

We have all had that experience at the dentist when they stick that vacuum tube in our throats and are cleaning out all the residues from a cleaning or filling. I remember one dentist in particular who would always have me close my mouth around the tube. I always seriously underestimated the power of the suction tube. Now imagine that feeling, but now slide it a little bit further down the throat past the "gagging ball" and having someone about a foot from your face telling you to cough and relax all at the same time. To make it better, prior to sucking him out they have to gorilla pound his chest. For all you nurses out there you may know what I am talking about. They take this miniature rubber cup and start banging his chest. I must confess that when Jaime and I saw this the first time we couldn't believe our eyes and actually started laughing. He just sat there watching a movie while the nurse played Tarzan on his chest. As the day lingered on and the pounding, sucking and prodding continued, Jared's patience with the whole ordeal wore thin. Needless, to say it has been a long day for this kid.

The neurosurgeons discussed the MRI a bit with us today and confirmed what the surgeons initially told us after surgery. There is a small (less than a centimeter square) portion of the tumor left near the left bundle of nerves. They did not feel that a complete removal of the tumor would be worth removing all of those nerves. I personally and glad and will hope that the proton beam radiation will finish the job without inflicting too much damage. I must confess I do not understand a whole lot about the radiation, but I hope to in the near future. The surgeons today were optimistic about the radiation taking care of what they needed it to. Once we get Jared up and going here we will soon be into the next phase of this journey.

Jared is good and looks much more like our boy. The day shift nurse whipped him into shape and was really fantastic at all she did today. We have had great care here, that's for sure. They completely took him off oxygen and he is doing well. He no longer snores like a mad dog and that is always a bonus. All in all it has really been a great day, but a long one for Jared.

All this superhero stuff is really going to his head. I walked up to him and told him that everyone is calling him a superhero and asked him if he really was one. He replied simply with a nod in the affirmative. I love this kid!