Tough Times Getting Worse (But Better in the Long Run)

A few weeks ago, I updated you on some unfortunate health news of mine. At that time I was diagnosed with Sclerosing Cholangitis, a chronic liver disease that results in obstructed bile ducts. Since then, some complications have arisen.

Last Sunday, I woke from a nap with insane chills and nausea. Kristina drove me to the hospital and I was assessed with a low blood pressure and a high fever (39.7°C). An infection had developed at the site of the stent inserted earlier, so a regiment of antibiotics and a host of other medications were prescribed for the week.

The following Friday, I was informed by my specialist that I would likely be released later that day or the next. However, an hour later another doctor arrived and introduced himself to me as a surgeon and said he was asked to look at me and my abdomen. Fair enough. But a short time after that a host of surgeons came in to tell me that scans, ultrasounds, and scopes has all tipped them off to a tumor nestled tightly beside my common bile duct. The head of liver, biliary and pancreatic surgery would be coming to see me that evening to inform of their "game plan".

That evening I was told of this weeks' "game plan".

Currently, no one can tell me whether the tumor is malignant or not. Presently, it is officially considered as "suspicious". Consequently, they are taking no chances. If it is indeed cancer (in this case, Cholangiocarcinoma), there is no treatment available other than surgical removal. As such, this week I will go under the knife and have half my pancreas, my bile duct, gall bladder, duodenum, and the tumor removed.

There is no chemotherapy.

Following surgery, I will recover 7-10 days in hospital, followed by further recuperation at home. Assuming a best case scenario, the long-term prognosis is excellent. And considering the facts that (1) they discovered the tumor early on; (2) the doctor is widely known as one of (if not the) best surgeons around; (3) I'm -- in the doctors words -- "the healthiest looking" patient he has seen in this situation; and (4) there is no waiting time for the operation; I've got relatively little to worry about.

I'm excited to get this operation out of the way so I can visit with all of you, get back to work, and do all the things I love.

Thank you for all of your good wishes over the last month. It's been great to hear from you all.

Rocky Point

Today we joined the Niddrie Family (minus Aidan) for lunch and a walk at Port Moody's Rocky Point Park. Pajo's supplied the tastey fish & chips for lunch and we followed it up with a sunny walk along the water's edge and through the forest. Port Moody really is a lovely place to visit.


Friday, May 11, 2007: Pajoian goodness.


Friday, May 11, 2007: Off kilter.


Friday, May 11, 2007:


Friday, May 11, 2007: Two moms on Mother's Day Weekend.


Friday, May 11, 2007


Friday, May 11, 2007: ...and the dogs enjoyed themselves too.

Tough Times

The first week of May was rough week.

With Kristina staying in Gibsons with her parents, I had to make an unexpected entry to the Emergency Department at Eagle Ridge Hospital early Tuesday morning. I was soon admitted and a host of doctors and nurses took a multitude of blood tests, x-rays, and ultra-sounds. As a result of the tests, I was told I needed to be transferred to Royal Columbian Hospital for further tests, specialist consultations, and procedures.

For those of you who are unaware -- which is most of you, since Kristina tells me I have a tendency to hide this kind of stuff from most people -- I've been experiencing a substantial amount of abdominal and back pain over the last two months. Well, as it turns out, I developed a troublesome little liver disease known as Sclerosing Cholangitis. It is a slow, incurable, and progressing disease, which attacks the bile ducts causing obstructions both inside and outside of the liver.

At this point, the main problem I had was with the main bile duct connecting the liver to the duodenum (small intestine); so my doctor inserted a stent to open up the duct and allow bile to pass through as it should. The bad news, as I said, is that it is a progressive disease and will continue to create additional pinches and obstructions. In end, therefore, a liver transplant will be necessary. On average, this will happen ten years from diagnosis.

Granted, this is all unexpected and unhappy news, but I'm still happy with everything else in my life. Kristina & Katelyn both give me endless happiness, and my friends and family all continue to be the wonderful people in the world. I look forward to seeing you all soon and spending some fantastic time together.

For those of you who may be interested, the doctor who put in my stent gave me a CD of the x-rays he made. Here are a couple of shots that illustrate the problem well.


Friday, May 4, 2007: Diagnosis - Before stent. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)


Friday, May 4, 2007: Treatment - Stent implanted. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Indy in Gibsons