Monday's the Day

Saw Dr. Miller today. He will be banding Brian's fistula on Monday. It's a simple outpatient procedure and will be done at the hospital here in Albany :)

Update...

After much consideration, Dr. Wahba has decided to send Brian to Dr. Miller to have the fistula banded. After reviewing the recent test results, he still has numerous concerns about blood pressure, fistula blood flow, and cardiac output. He's hopeful that this adjustment to the fistula will bring improvement. We have a consultation with Dr. Miller this Friday, and will probably set a date for the procedure at that time. The following Friday Brian will have an echocardiogram and EKG to be sure there aren't any further complications. It looks like it will be a busy couple of weeks now, but we are thankful to have access to the care that Brian needs.

Portland

We made the drive to Portland yesterday to see Dr. Barnes in the infectious disease clinic...sounds icky, but she is the specialist handling the treatment of the histoplasmosis. She feels that Brian is doing well and will likely be able to be transplanted again at some point. We discussed our desire to postpone the kidney removal and preparation for re-transplantation for a while. She believes this is a wise decision and will not affect Brian's current health or the possibility of a future transplant. She will be presenting Brian's case to the entire team of infectious disease doctors next week for further input. They will also give input as to the continuation of the medications being used to treat the infection. We certainly feel blessed to have these wonderful, knowledgeable doctors caring for Brian!!!

By the way...El Pollo Loco was super-good!!

Improving

Brian had his fistula flow and cardiac output checked at dialysis on Tuesday. We are happy to report that the fistula flow seems to be coming down to near the higher end of the "normal" range. (That was a confusing sentence...anyway, it's good news :) His cardiac output is also in the normal range. We are happy to hear this, because there are some heart problems that can be caused when the fistula flow is too high. We are waiting for Dr. Wahba to review the report, but we hope that the good news will mean that no surgical corrections on the fistula are necessary.

Tomorrow we are making a trip to Portland to see the infectious disease doctors, and hopefully get some El Pollo Loco while we are there!!

Can't Forget Chella!

Had to get in a photo of Chella who took the group photo in the last post....here she is with Janel and Haley making s'mores :)

So Thankful for Family

This week we were blessed with a visit from our nephew Stevie (actually he is grown-up Steve now, but always "Stevie" in our hearts!!), his beautiful wife Janeth, and their awesome family...Janel, Chella (who was taking the photo), and Haley. It was so much fun having them in our home. We watched movies, made s'mores in the back yard, and had a blast being entertained by 3 year old Haley who is the cutest thing ever!! They left yesterday and we're having trouble getting used to the quiet!!

Anyone else up for a visit??