Some of you may or may not know that I had been admitted to the University Hospital early Sunday morning with a new clot.  As you know any clot can be dangerous, but this new one is located below an existing clot in my superior mesenteric Vein is most troublesome.  This clot has restricted blood flow to the bowel region, causing it to enlarge and of course pain comes with that.  If collateral arteries do not begin to feed this area of the bowel, it would die and they would have no option but remove this section – and that would be dangerous for me also.  They have me on morphine and they are giving me antibiotics intravenously to stave off any potential infection. The actual terminology of this particular condition is referred to as mesenteric venous thrombosis. To be more precise the severe pain I was having is caused by swelling and distention of the bowels.

I was informed last night by my hematologist that he was going to speak with a team about a procedure commonly used for stroke patients in the early stages.  The procedure is called TPA and is performed in the early stages (usually 1 hour) to break down clots in the brain and also the heart.  For TPA to be used in my case, it is almost unheard of, but the alternatives for me not to go ahead do not look good at all.

The danger for me to have this procedure done, is that I could bleed from the varices in my esophagus or I could potentially bleed in my brain.  See link for details:  www.portal-hypertension.com/esophageal-varices/

The other downside is, even if it works, is that the clot could reappear and I would have to be reassessed for eligibility.  The doctor said I have age on my side (I liked hearing this) and I am relatively doing okay with my current treatment protocol so he feels confident this will work.

Earlier today I really struggled with all of this as I haven’t had much time to digest it all.  Right now I feel much more at peace because of prayers lifted on my behalf.  As I face this procedure sometime today, I am asking you for your prayer support as I believe the more people praying, the better the outcome in the end.

Thank you for your support!

Clint

(Note: After composing this message, 3 pastors from our church came and prayed with me.  I have a tremendous sense of God’s peace over me now and  my very life is in His hands – as it always has been for many years now)

UPDATE: The TPA was postponed by the ICU doctor until 8 am this morning. Apparently he wanted easier access to GI doctors in the event of a bleeding issue, and more of those specialists are available during the day. I was prepped early last evening here in ICU and I am spending the night here.

Post TPA Update: IV is out but I still can’t move around for awhile yet. The pain I have still is milder in the abdomen, and the injection site but they still are giving me morphine to handle it. Dr Ritchie came in an hour ago and said that the clot may or may not still be there as it may have been there too long? The GI was also here earlier and said the truth won’t really be revealed until they take a scan – maybe tomorrow or Saturday. They will monitor me for at least a few more days. Thanks for your prayers!

UPDATE: Released from hospital late Friday August 31, 2012.  TPA went well and there is some residual pain.  Click Here for the Latest Status…