Information

I will try to update the best I know how. The information as I understand it is that my dad has a combination of problems due to past colbalt treatments, chemo treatments and other complications. Mom says they are blessed to have an anesthesiologist who also has a background in cardiology who caught on to dad's heart conditions and then passed them on to the head cancer cardiologist who has a background in past cancer therapies. He helped ease many of their fears.

This cancer cardiologist believes that dad's heart conditions (cardiomyopathy and heart failure to name a few) have come from his intense chemo treatments now and in the past, but he believes it has not caused permanent damage and can be treated with medications. He said my dad experienced heart failure back in July when he had his stint replacement episode. They are placing him on new medications that will hopefully increase his energy and make him feel a ton better. All doctors involved have said that if the surgery had taken place it would not have had a good outcome with dad's heart the way it is right now.

My dad will undergo a "special" ct of his heart and also a "echocardiogram?" that will determine if there is a blockage on Tuesday. If so, they will try to clear it with a minimally invasive process. They will also meet with the liver surgeon on Wednesday to determine when the surgery can take place. I believe my mother mentioned about two weeks from now it can be rescheduled.

For those of you with a medical background, I apologize for my lack of knowledge on this subject. I'm sure I've lost some of the appropriate terminology in passing this on from my parents. All I know to ask is that you please pray for the doctors in helping to determine the best way to procede in healing my father and for peace as my parents wait it out in Houston. There is also a concern about Hurricane Gustav reaching Houston over the weekend and shutting down MD Anderson. So we ask for your continued prayers.