Here is Dana’s latest report—
Good news…
Some may know that John took Bruce to Emergency at UK last Thursday with what had become serious internal bleeding (he was given 4 pints that night). Bleeding ulcers were suspected, but an endoscope showed that he had developed variceals in his stomach. (Blood was backing up from an obstructed artery to the spleen…they think).
They also noted a hernia (he was already aware of that); then the CT scan showed a mass on his transplanted, nonfunctioning kidney. (There was no mass when he had abdominal surgery last October.) Instructions for a diagnostic MRI were not clear about the location of the transplanted kidney (in the abdomen), so the results were of the normal location for kidneys. A second MRI to get a more detailed view of the suspicious mass was scheduled for this morning, and a biopsy was planned for this afternoon.
The second MRI showed the “mass” to be the ureter from the kidney tangled up with the hernia. Then, instead of a biopsy, he was scheduled for surgery. Of course, the surgery was more complicated than for a typical hernia, as they didn’t want to compromise the ureter, which he’ll need for a new transplant, and they have to work around major scar tissue (the surgeon in October said it looks like a bomb went off inside).
The repair was made and he is back in his room tonight, although not all that comfortable, since pain medications (including morphine, fentanyl, and hydrocodone) are ineffective for him now because he was given so much a few years back.
It’s too bad he’s in pain, but we’re all very relieved that instead of a new malady and round of treatment, the problem was identified and repaired on the same day.
Now we pray that such a life-threatening level of hemorrhage doesn’t recur, but at least he’ll know what it is a lot more quickly. Again, we have much for which to be grateful.
Love to all…
Dana