Sorry for the delay in this update. Dr. Beilman came out and talked to us. He was very happy and brought us some very good news. First Sue is doing very well. He explained about the scar tissue and as we expected it was from the previous surgeries. He removed quite a bit and this should give her some relief from some of the abdominal pain that it caused until it reforms if it does. What was really good was that he did NOT have to do anything to her digestive system. He was thinking he would but because of a good job by the previous Whipple Surgeon, he was able to do the job he needed with minimal impact to her digestive system. I cannot go into the details (HIPAA rules) but he explained it to us and drew a picture which was very clear. (he said he wasn’t an artist but he did really well to get the message across) Let me say, if anyone is considering this surgery, Dr. Beilman is unbelievable. He knows his stuff and won’t do more than what needs to be done. Sue will tell you more when she is better. Ok, back to whats happening with Sue. Because of this good news what he expects is that instead of being on a feeding tube for weeks, he expects Sue to be eating in a few days (WOW that is AWESOME!). Now, this is me saying, this will change the dynamics of her recovery. She will still have a long road but he did say it won’t be as difficult as if she had had the Whipple which she already has. There was more good news regarding other things that I cannot discuss because of the medical nature that was all just grand. In a few weeks, if Sue wants to add them to this blog for those who are following this as they prepare for or are considering this surgery, please know, the TP-IAT is more involved than just the removal of the pancreas and spleen. Always talk to the doctor as everyone has a different situation. But for acute Chronic Pancreatitis like what Sue has, this is a life-changing option indeed.
The day has been long and dragging on. To see Dr. Beilman come out in the grand spirits he was in was a tremendous up lit to us. Sue is not out of the woods yet she still has several hours to go as they work to separate the Islet cells which will take 3 to 4 hours and then transplant them into the liver which will take another hour and a half. Then another hour to close. Then recovery and off to Intensive care. Sue won’t know about this news for about a day. But thanks to so many people and all the prayers God is listening. Don’t stop praying yet she still has a lot of serious hurdles to leap. After surgery, the next 24 hours are very critical in the recovery process. Keep praying.
Dr. Beilman telling us the good news about the surgery.
Dr. Beilman explaining the details of what he did via a drawing (sorry
the drawing has medical information so we cant display it).
A view of the board showing the time Sue is in
Surgery (D ,S UUOR 6:26) so far.
