HALFWAY THROUGH THE HOME STRETCH!

RETURN TO HOUSTON

We are leaving tomorrow returning to Houston for the Portal Vein Embolization procedure on Tuesday.

I have to have the lab work done before the CT scan, so I have to have that done Sunday afternoon following our arrival. Why Sunday? Because I am schedule to begin the CT prep at 6:30 a.m. Monday morning! The scan itself is scheduled for 8 a.m., followed by an assessment appointment in Radiology at 9 a.m., anesthesia assessment at 9:45 a.m. and finally, a follow-up visit in the GI center at 1:30 p.m.

According to the schedule, I have to check-in Tuesday at 8 a.m. for the procedure at 10 a.m. I will have to spend the night at the hospital Tuesday night. We expect to be released sometime Wednesday. And since, I know better than to expect to sleep Tuesday night, we will stay in the hotel Wednesday night to make sure we are rested for the return trip Thursday.

We are staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Old Spanish Trail. We inspected the rooms there before reserving on to make sure that they were clean. (It is operated by Holiday Inn.)

The following information is from M. D. Anderson’s website:

PORTAL VEIN EMBOLIZATION

Major resections of the liver can be performed provided the post-operative residual liver is adequate in size and function. Portal vein embolization involves the insertion of a catheter into the portal vein through the liver. Contrast material ("dye") is injected to define the anatomy of the portal venous system. Selective branches of the portal vein are then blocked with small particles and metal coils until the flow of blood is stopped.

Growth of the non-embolized portion of the liver usually takes 3-4 weeks and CT is used to document the change. You can expect to remain in the hospital for 1-2 days following the procedure.

According to what Dr. Abdalla told us before we left, the procedure takes about three hours, and because I have to be still all that time, I will be knocked out. When it’s over, I will be admitted for overnight observation.

BACK HOME THURSDAY

We expect to return to Fort Worth Thursday. We will keep you posted.

Mary and Abraham