Bri’s liver surgery was completed at 2:30 p.m. (CA time). She was in for a total of 7 hrs. Eric reports the dr. said there were no bad surprises.
The operation was delayed approx. 1½ hrs. because her white cell and platelet counts were too low – a common side-effect of chemotherapy. Regarding this issue, the dr. said that if he had it to do over, he would have had the chemotherapy dr. remove one of the chemo cocktail medications 2 weeks earlier and by so doing, her counts would have been better.
Anyway, after giving her some medications and time to pump up the white cell and platelet counts the surgery began. The dr. went in through the scar from her Nov. 2008 surgery.
Of the three lobes of the liver – left, middle, right -- the dr. removed the right lobe and a portion of the left lobe and none of the middle. The right lobe had some active cancer. The left lobe had traces of an old, dying cancer. In total, the dr. removed 35-40% of her liver and then dressed it with an anti-adhesion dressing. That would be similar to a job-skin which is used by burn patients to prevent heavy scarring that can lift and become disfigured. This was done so that if at any future date Bri needs an additional surgery, scar tissue from today’s procedure won’t be an obstacle.
The dr. was happy to find that after conducting a thorough internal examination, there was no sign of any cancer anywhere outside the liver.
Regarding the stomach pain that Bri’s been experiencing over the past couple of months that was localized in the scar tissue just below her sternum from her Nov. surgery, the dr. found a stitch that hadn’t dissolved. It was near the surface of the scar and resulted in nerve pain and overall discomfort. He cleaned as much old scar tissue as he could from her Nov. 2008 surgical scar and feels confident she’ll recovery very nicely.
Bri’s now in recovery and will be allowed to return home as soon as she can eat regular food – hopefully by Thursday, Friday at the latest.
The dr. said full regeneration of the liver may take up to 9 months, but Bri will experience the largest portion of regrowth within the next 6 weeks. She’ll get back on chemotherapy within the next 2 or 3 weeks, depending on her recovery from this surgery. We’re not sure if the chemo cocktail amounts or medications will be adjusted in any way. The dr.s will consult with each other as they monitor her progress.
Eric’s doing as well as can be expected. It’s been a long anxious day for him as he could do nothing but wait and pray for the dr. to do his thing.
Eric says he’ll have Bri call Teri later this evening when she’s feeling better. We’ll keep you updated as the situation warrants.
We appreciate your ongoing faith and prayers. If you have any special contacts on the other side of the veil, their petitions are also welcomed.
Rick Boulter
April's Dad
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2 comments:
Very cool...no surprise that the cancer is gone! Miracles do happen & prayers are answered.
April, Just so you know the Malick family is praying for your sister. Miracles are an awesome thing that happen everyday we just don't always get to witness them first hand.
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