Matthew had a mixed day today. First thing this morning the ear nose and throat doctors came in with a bronchoscope and looked at his vocal chords. The right side was fine but they saw no movement in the left side. This explains why he can�t make much noise when he cries. Another concern is his ability to bottle/breast feed. You see, the vocal chords not only produce sound, they also protect his airway from fluids �going down the wrong pipe� when he swallows. In fact, they performed a test with barium today and when he swallowed some it also went down into his lungs. �What could cause this?� you are probably asking. Matthew had been intubated for months as most of you are aware. The vocal chords could just be irritated from that fact. Also, during surgery, the nerve that controls the vocal chords and is near the heart could have been bumped or �stunned� as Dr. Conrad calls it. These first two explanations will heel themselves over time. Another possibility, though unlikely, is that the nerve was severed during surgery and will never grow back. Do you remember �Froggy� from the �Little Rascals�? For the immediate time this simply means that Matthew can�t drink from a bottle like most babies because of the risk that he will aspirate milk into his lungs. A �mixed day� implies more than one ingredient�So let�s talk about the good news. According to Sandy, our Nurse Practitioner, Matthew �set a new personal record for the best lung X-ray ever.� He remains at room air (no added oxygen). His feeding tube was drawn back from his intestine to his stomach so he can digest normally. All of these are important milestones for him on the path to going home.