Small Bump In The Road Today - Still In ICU Tonight (Sunday)

Quick post tonight...............

As stated in the header Lisa was not able to get out of the ICU today and the reason is two-fold; because of complications with the pain meds they thought were working effectively and that the ICU environment she has been in is challenging from a sleep standpoint (she is in one of four beds and the nature of an ICU is activity going on 24/7).

That said later this afternoon Lisa was given a private ICU room for tonight and she is resting more comfortably.  Additionally all indications (fingers crossed) are that the new pain meds seem to be working nicely.  We are hopeful she will be placed in a traditional hospital room tomorrow.

In His name we trust.

TAZ

ICU One More Night But No Major Concerns

I spent the entire day in the ICU with Lisa today and unfortunately she will remain in ICU for one more night.  The main reason for the additional night (the extra time in ICU is not uncommon with this surgery) is it took them longer then expected to get a handle on pain management coming out of surgery.  Pancreatitis patients tend to build up high tolerances to pain meds because they are used so regularly to treat the disease prior to having surgery.  The good news is it seems they have found the right level of pain meds for Lisa and she is resting more comfortably this evening.

Lisa's vital signs remain within good ranges and in fact if that continues through the night Dr. Levy said there is no reason why she won't be moved out of the ICU tomorrow.  We are all very hopeful that will happen.

Zach and Kaitlyn were able to join me for about an hour this afternoon and Lisa really enjoyed there visit.

Thanks again for all your on-going thoughts and prayers, the power of prayer is an AWESOME thing.

TAZ

Lisa Still in ICU this morning

Just a quick update this morning.  Lisa spent the night in ICU and her condition is stable with no cause for concern.  Her vitals are very good and they are trying to deal with the extreme pain that goes along with the recovery from this surgery.  If all goes well today she could be released to a more traditional hospital room in the transplant wing later today.  Please continue to pray for Lisa.

TAZ

Lisa's Surgery Just Concluded at Around 8:00pm

Dr. Levy just came out and informed us that Lisa's surgery is complete and that he is very happy with how she came through.  Lisa has been moved to the ICU to start the recovery process (YEAH!).  Dr. Levy stated that they were able to abstract a very high amount of islets (around 364,000 for those of you counting at home) from her pancreas that were then transplanted into her liver. 

Hopefully we will be able to see Lisa in about 30 minutes!

God has worked through Lisa's surgeons and they successfully completed her surgery. We place all faith in Him and know he will continue to bless Lisa through the recovery process in the coming months.

TAZ
ZAZ
KMZ

Lisa's Surgery Going As Planned

Zach, Kaitlyn, and I just spoke to Dr. Levy and we are happy to report that Lisa's surgery is going as planned.  Lisa has been stable throughout, pancreas was removed around 1:30 pm, it took a bit longer then expected to reconnect things inside after removing the pancreas, but this work was completed by about 4:00 pm.  The Islets are in the process of being farmed out of her "old" pancreas at the time of this writing and Dr. Levy expects to put them into the blood flow to nest in the Liver around 6:00 pm.  If all goes well Lisa should be in the ICU between 8:00 and 9:00 pm tonight.

We are so grateful to God that everything is going well to this point and we continue to pray for Dr. Levy and his team for a successful result.  Thanks to all of you that are praying too.

TAZ
ZAZ
KMZ

Surgery Started at 8:40 am

They started surgery this morning at 8:40 am.  Lisa was in good spirits, naturally a little apprehensive, but has full faith in the Doctor that is doing the surgery and his medical staff.  More importantly she is unwavering in her faith that God is in control of her day today.

I should get a report from the Dr. early this afternoon about how the first half of the operation goes and will post an update then.  Thanks to all who are keeping Lisa in their thoughts and prayers today.

TAZ

Psalm 16:8-9

"I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.  My body rests in safety."  Psalm 16:8-9

LJZ

Lisa's Surgery Information

Date:            Friday, October 29, 2010
Hospital:       Baylor Dallas
Address:       3500 Gaston Street
                     Dallas, TX  75246

Arrival:         5:30am
Surgery:       7:30am

Procedure:   Pancreatic Islet Transplantation to Liver
Length:         Approx 12 hours

Zach, Lisa, Kaitlyn, & Tim

Welcome to Lisa's updates

Hi everyone! In an attempt to keep everyone updated I have created a blog for you to keep up with Lisa.
We will post news as often as possible.

Lisa's surgery is Friday, October 29th at 7:00 am. Please pray ahead for the doctors wisdom and God's healing powers to embrace Lisa.

More to come.
-Jena