OK so here it finally is, an update with a few teeth....

Ok, we do have an update and it has only a few teeth, but by the end of the week we should have a good plan.....

So here is the story:

Sunday we had the HIDA scan....the tech and radiologist said the liver took up the dye right away and the gall bladder remained "cold" - not visible - for the whole hour she was scanned.

They took her down for another picture this morning and never called her back for the second picture this afternoon that they told us they wanted when we spoke to them yesterday.

When Dr. Huff came in this evening to talk to us, she told us that the final report from nuclear medicine said that the scan was inconclusive.....that was kinda annoying. We related what the conversation was on Sunday and that the team Sunday thought that the scan supported an issue with either the gall bladder or the duct between the liver and the gall bladder.

Dr. Huff believes in her medical heart of hearts that Trish's issue is her gall bladder and that she can regenerate her liver if the rest of her is healthy. Her symptoms are digestive, it hurts when she eats and no more. The liver's only role in digestion is the production of bile -- which Trish has plenty of, so again it appears to be something effecting digestion, not the liver damage that is her root problem.

The nuclear med doctor was way more helpful on Sunday than today, Dr. Huff is trying to get with them again. She is also bringing in the surgeons again tomorrow morning and the GI team. By the end of the week we should have a definite plan, but it is looking likely to include removal of the gall bladder despite the image tests. They may still scope out Trish's stomach to insure there is nothing there that needs attention, but the focus is starting to form around the gall bladder (are you happy yet, Mike).

Trish had an ultra- sound right before starting ECP (about 3 weeks ago) and the tech asked her if she had eaten because her gall bladder looked like she had, but she hadn't. I think the gall bladder has likel been bad for a while -- quite possibly because of GvH. I am hopeful that this is the conclusion of the doctors. It really is a best chance out of the tunnel.

Hopefully we will have more frequent and good updates the rest of the week. Pray hard and thank you.