Gastroenterology, 7th Floor, Cedars Sinai
Yesterday was a great day! 1 hour 25 minutes from San Marcos to Beverly Hills. Busted at 80 by the CHP (no ticket). 4 am is a great time to be on California freeways if you have a need for speed and a radar detector!
Val's ERCP procedure started at 0730 and lasted two hours. Dr. Lo is the bomb! Probably one of the best in the world on this procedure. Thanks for your diligence in getting this appointment so quick Char. And 6 am is perfect. Val was number one on his agenda.
He explained that plastic stents will always make more sense for Val. They can be moved and changed as needed. Metal stents are permanent. If you have a problem with a metal stent, you are sc _ _ _ ed.
Dr. Lo removed (2) stents and inserted (3) in their place. Stent location and size are critical for bile flow and pain levels caused by the stents. He also removed whatever "bad stuff" he found in the biliary tree. He added an oral antibiotic and a bile thinner to Val's prescriptions.
Normally the stents last 3 months but he wants us back in 2. Hopefully we can get on a 3 month interval with the help of the bile thinning medication.
After final consultations, we were on the road and back to San Marcos at 2:30 pm. We did have a scare last night when Val's temperature spiked up to 101.6. It came down.
Please pray that these stents will work until our next appointment. Pray that there are no blood infections. They are deadly with a 50% morbidity rate and Val has survived 2. Pray that the diuretic begins to reduce the abdominal fluid. Pray that Val has the strength to keep her Thursday 8:30 am USC chemo appointment. Paul is planning to take her.
Speaking of Paul, I am reminded of the Apostle's words in his letter written from a Roman prison cell to the church at Phillipi; "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Or, in the words of Captain Kirk, we boldly go where no man has gone before.
Congratulations to Matt and Sarah on the birth of their second son this morning. Too much testerone for one house Sarah. Good luck!
Godspeed
posted by McCrea Family at 3:46 PM
2 Comments:
Thank you for taking the time to update the prayer requests. I had been eagerly waiting to hear how the stent replacement went. As busy as you all are, I know it must be difficult to stop and add an update, but you all do such a wonderfull job. We are praying for you. The Johns family.
Val you are so loved! Praying hard at every moment for you and your family! Love Bill and Valerie Persichetti
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