Wednesday, July 2, 2008

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I just got a call from Dr. Teitel, very nice Dr. to answer any concerns/questions I had and to clarify what their plans are. Here are my notes:
In addition to her transplanted conduit, Gillian also has a very small left pulmonary artery. There are a couple of things they can do to fix this, using catheterization. They can do a balloon dilation or put in a stent. They could also surgically expand and patch the artery, but the ultimate goal is to add to the blood flow to the lungs. What they want to do is take a look through catheterization to get a good picture of the conditions and determine what the best course of action would be. If they do a balloon dilation, then they need 6 weeks for healing before performing her other conduit replacement surgery. If they use a stent, then there may be less recovery time needed before going forward with surgery. They will decide based on what they see when they perform the cath procedure what is the best option to go. Regardless, when they are done, we will be able to schedule the next surgery before we leave.


This procedure is scheduled for Wed, July 9. We will be the first procedure scheduled that morning at 9:30 am. We would have to check in at 7am. Dr. Teitel said we should be going home late in the day the same day. On few occasions, there may be an overnight stay. Regardless, he felt there was plenty of time for all of this to occur and healing before school started.
Dr. Azakie is the Dr. that will be heading the surgery.

How does Gillian feel? Last night, when I let her know we were scheduled for next week for the cath procedure, she was very happy. I know she is nervous too, about disruptions to her school schedule. But we both know that above all else, her surgery schedule should be based on what is best and safest for her health and well-being.

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