More surgery...

June 2004

10 am the next day, Myles is really out of it now, he's not aware of much of anything around him, we are im-patiently waiting for them to come and take him to another round of surgery. Finally they come for him and I follow them down to surgery holding. Doctor comes in warns me the surgery may be long again, and what they will be doing....

Reverse the flow of the liver using shunts, what does this mean? They put a shunt in his portal vein, shunt is in coming, portal vein is out going. Normally in coming is from the veins on the top of your liver, in Myles' case those are the ones that shrunk! Doctor warns me that Myles's chance for survival is somewhere around 10% not good odds!

After I think around 5 hours of surgery, I finally get the call, Myles had made it through! And the shunt was in place, the next 24 hours would be touch and go.

I go in to the hospital the next morning expecting the normal day after surgery of Myles being out of it, but MUCH to my surprise he was fully alert and sitting up in bed smiling and talking! Not only had he made it, but with flying colors!

Next morning to the step down floor, and the next after to the regular floor! He was doing awesome! When I got to the hospital this morning (3 days after the surgery) Myles was worried, seems as an intern was checking over his surgery wound he put a little pressure on it and something blackish looking came out?

Doctor came in shortly after I did to examine the wound, he took the bandages off and reached down and put pressure on it and the same black stuff came out. Stepped back and said "Looks like you have a hole in your bowel, I Knew I had nicked something on the way out!" OMG now what? Well, nothing, Myles has been through too much, they doubt he would survive another surgery AND they don't think the surgery would help to close it. He needs to recover some before they try to repair it.

More on life with Myles and a hole in the bowel next time....