THE LATEST NEWS…

SURGICAL DETAILS

I realized that I incorrectly dated my last update because I was tired. I forgot that it was January when we left, so when I checked the date on my calendar, I looked at January, not February. That’s why I put 02/11/08 instead of 02/08/08. I decided to get some sleep before sending another update! So, now that I have gotten caught up on my rest, so it’s time to get you caught up on the details of our most recent trip to Houston.

On January 26, I told you that Dr. Abdalla listed three options for surgery. Once he got me opened up (kind of like open heart surgery, only without breaking my breastbone), he decided on a fourth option: remove the entire left lobe first! He did say my liver was gorgeous! That’s not something you hear everyday!

To remove the liver tissue yet leave the circulatory structures, Dr. Abdalla used a water scalpel that is normally used in brain surgery. It dissolves the tissue without destroying the veins to facilitate regeneration. He said he performed brain surgery on my liver!

He also said that I had developed a hernia at the site of one of my other scars where the muscles had become separated. He repaired that and used a sheet of mesh to have something to anchor all the stitches to.

NEXT TRIP IN JUST A FEW DAYS

We are preparing to return to Houston in just a few days. We leave Sunday. I will have all new tests and see the doctors Monday, undergo the portal vein embolization Tuesday, spend the night in the hospital Tuesday night and be released Wednesday. Since I am certain that they won’t let us sleep much, we are planning to stay in town Wednesday night and leave Thursday morning after we have gotten some rest.

Before we left Houston last time, we checked out several hotels. We discovered that any place charging less that $100 per night was a roach motel. Rotary House is booked for the month of February, so we will stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites. This chain is operated by Holiday Inn. We inspected a room and found it to be quite clean and fresh. They have daily housekeeping, hot breakfast and high-speed internet. It will end up costing the same as the Rotary House room we had last time, but we are relieved that we don’t have to stay in Hotel Hell!

FINAL TRIP...HOPEFULLY!

Before we left, Dr. Abdalla talked about possibly two more trips after the PVE trip next week. Yesterday, I learned that we may have only one more trip. We will return, hopefully the last time, on Sunday, March 23. I will have all new tests Monday, see the doctors Tuesday and be admitted for the second operation Wednesday. We hope to be home again by April 9.

Now that I know which drugs work and to which ones I am allergic, I think I will have a better post-op experience. It is also good to know what to expect this time. We will be more prepared.

The good news for that trip is that we have a reservation at Rotary House! That means we can walk to all my appointments and not have to deal with traffic or parking or bad weather. It will make everything much easier and more comfortable.

STOP THE INSANITY!

The people in the parking buildings are nuts! Patients and employees share limited facilities. When the employees are late and trying to find a quick parking place, they got vicious! One man wanted to fist-fight Abraham for a parking place. Insane! And they drive around the parking building like it’s the Gran Prix. Our van was actually damaged by these crazy people!

Overall, I am feeling pretty well, However, I am having some gastric distress when I eat. The last couple of days, it seems that no matter what I eat or how little I eat, I have sharp stomach cramps. Have to call the nurse about that!

Thanks for your continued prayers. We’ll be in touch again soon!

Mary and Abraham