OHSU Day 20 & 21

*UPDATES*

4/17/23 5:00pm

Day 21

Tony's white blood cells are starting to come down again, and his pain has been better managed today. He was able to walk a bit this morning, and I was able to help him shower. But, by this afternoon, his energy is quite low. They have YET to turn on his feeding tube (because they can't seem to locate a pump!). The food is here, and the pump is not. He's had ZERO nutrition in over 48 hours. 

He's stable. But, weak. We need STABLE to stay. 

It looks like the CT will be tomorrow, and that will be a big tell-all for when the procedure can happen and IF there is anything new or alarming going on. 

Please, please continue praying. If your church has a prayer chain, add him to it. You have my permission. The more people on the battlefield with us, the better.

If I've learned one thing during these last 21 days, it's that he has good days and very bad days. It's the constant ebb and flow of this wild roller coaster ride. We need more good days, desperately. 

We need Tony's oxygen levels to stabilize. 

We need his lungs to be filled with air.

We need his pancreas to stop being extra.

We need this infection to dissipate. 

We need the clots to dissolve.

We need his pain LOW and controlled. 

We need the feeding tube to be turned ON. 

We need the spleen and liver to get along with his pancreas. 

We need someone here to find the feeding tube PUMP.

We need rest. We need healing in Jesus's MIGHTY name. 

I am linking the other tangible ways you can help us because several have asked:

https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/n1ekd7

https://www.givesendgo.com/thenelsonfamily

We are grateful for every single person who is on their knees alongside us. The donations, the meals...it's a beautiful overwhelm. I wish I could thank each and every one of you individually.  Please continue to PRAY. Don't. Stop. Praying. 🙏

 *UPDATES*

4/16/23 5:30PM

Day 20

We met with the GI and surgery/procedure team over here at OHSU several times today. Ultimately, because Tony has an infection, it is too risky to go in a drain the 3 pockets on his pancreas...at this time. If the infection were to rupture or leak out into his system, we would be dealing in an entirely different realm of problems. Major problems. 

The goal is to manage pain for another few days here and re-do another CT scan either tomorrow or Tuesday. IF his symptoms get worse, it is possible they would go in through the skin (outer abdomen) and place a drain in an emergency situation. Again, risks are involved there, too. Ideally, the walls of these pockets need to "thicken" because that would help the infection to not spread while they're draining, and that typically takes 4 weeks. (We are at week 3. However, they MAY need to make an exception) Once the "pocket" walls harden a bit more, the team would feel more comfortable going in via an endoscopic procedure to put in a stint and begin draining.

I have asked several times if they ever just remove the entire pancreas, and they typically don't. The parts that have necrotized will essentially "die off," and he'll have a new "baseline." It CAN come back from this.

They have him on broad spectrum antibiotics, blood thinners (for clots), pain medicine, and IV fluids. The damage done with the blood clots is done. They don't feel those are "risky" anymore. His body is adapting.

We need prayer that he can get up walking. He has not walked for several days as things have gotten progressively worse, and pain has not been managed.

This is specifically what we are dealing with for those praying:

*necrotizing pancreas

*blood clots

*liver damage (from the pancreas damage and fluid pressure)

*pain management (we have to get this managed and right now, it is not.)

*2 partial collapsed lungs

Yesterday felt grim. Today seemed better.

I've said it so many times. Tony is looking up Everest, and we absolutely COVET your prayers as he fights.