Hello Everyone :)
I hope you are having a great week. We are doing good over here :) Some have asked for an update on Allison and I heard from her doctor at the Mayo Clinic yesterday so I thought I would take this opportunity to update.
Allison is feeling better, much better than before her surgery. As the doctor had explained, she continues with back pain that ranges from tolerable to some days very painful. We are going to try and start journaling her activities to see if we can find a pattern to what may make her feel worse some days than others. Dr. Bjarnason had predicted a minimum of 6 weeks of pain due to the nerves surrounding her IVC being irritated from stretching the IVC back open. And nerves are difficult to get under control. So, we are just taking one day at a time. But as I said, she see's, as do I, great improvement from the leg pain and abdominal pain from before. God has blessed her so much. ;) :)
Dr. Bjarnason's assistant emailed me yesterday informing of our "next step" regarding this healing process for Allison. She is scheduled for another venogram at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN, on Thursday, July 30, 2009. We are to arrive in Rochester on Wednesday and she will have her procedure on Thursday. If all looks good then we can probably leave on Friday, July 31st. It just depends on what Dr. Bjarnason finds. His purpose is to see if the stents are where he placed them, to examine them for any "build up" that can occur on any stents in anyone, and see if the 4 inch area of the IVC behind her liver has opened back up to normal size. He felt, at the time, it was shrinking down due to lack of use because of the large clotted off are of the lower IVC. If it is still smaller than he likes then she will have another procedure to place more stents in. He is also going to examine the right renal vein that comes off the IVC. It was completely occluded (clotted off). The right kidney is working well due to collateral vessels that have grown off the clotted vein but it is still something that has to be monitored.
So, that is our update. Allison has registered for classes at a local community college and classes there begin August 19.
Thank you so much, once again (and I really cannot say it enough) for all the prayers that have been offered on our behalf. We KNOW and feel as though we have SEEN the power of prayer in all this.
Love to All....
Jennifer
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