Back to the Hospital

We noticed Mark's skin and the whites of his eyes gradually getting more and more yellow. Tuesday morning, June 1st, Dr. Taylor ordered a blood draw. It came back as he expected -- high levels of bilirubin in the liver. The GI doctors he talked to could not see Mark until next week, which was not a viable option for Dr. Taylor. This would slow up the rest of the upcoming procedures. If we went to the ER Tuesday night, Mark could get the CT scan, be admitted, and ready for an operation on Wednesday. We were concerned about waiting for hours in the ER since this would not likely be triaged as an emergency. So...when is the least busy time in the ER? Google said the early, early morning hours. Therefore, we arrived at Providence Portland Emergency Room at 2:20 am. Within minutes, Mark was taken back to a room. By 3:30 am, the CT was done, and the ER doc told us that there definitely was a blockage. 

The ER room was tiny, with a bed for Mark and one hard chair for me. He was able to sleep, so I left him and slept in the car. (Note: the Tesla Y has two rows of seats that can be folded down, creating enough length for comfort. I had the foam mattress that I use each time we stay in the hospital. It fit perfectly in the back, and I even had a sheet, blanket, and pillow. Mark told me about the camping mode that fully controls the temperature. It was divine!)  

For over 12 hours, we waited for a hospital room to open up. During that time, the GI doc talked to us about how the procedure would go. There was no availability on Wednesday, so it was scheduled for Thursday at 3:15 pm. A scope will go down Mark's esophagus, past the pancreas, and up the duct to the liver, where a stent will be inserted that will keep the duct open, allowing the bile to drain. It's a 30 minute to an hour procedure and is typically done, outpatient. Dr. Taylor further explained that the blockage was due to the enlarged tumor in the lymph node close to the pancreas (not the liver). 

At 4:00 pm, we were taken to a hospital room on the 7th floor--the cancer wing, where we got to see some of our favorite nurses. We walked into a spacious room with a fantastic view. Wow, this definitely made up for the time we spent in the tiny, windowless cubbyhole. Typically, this room is given to transplant patients who stay for a month, and one had just been discharged. A nurse told us that they scan the ER list daily and pull cancer patients to the 7th floor. When they saw Mark's name, they got us into the suite! Sweet!! 

Because the stint would change the geography of the area to be radiated, the MRI and CT mapping scheduled for this morning were postponed. Initially, we were told that it would not be done for another week which was quite concerning, but Dr. Crittenden was able to get Mark in at 7:45 am Friday (tomorrow) to map the area near the pancreas. That is her first priority. Mark will have to lie still for long periods, sometimes with his arms over his head. It will take three to four hours. Next week, he will have another session for mapping the liver. 

His 2nd Covid vaccine appointment was this afternoon, but we moved it to tomorrow at a Walgreens close to the hospital. Mark's sisters fly in tomorrow afternoon and will be here for a week with their brother, dear. All is falling into place amazingly well.