SPRUNG from Duke 3-30-16

Quick update on Ray today 3-30-16

Ray has had a stable 24 hours- NO FEVERS! The doctors rounded this AM and said they were pleased with no fevers for a 24 hour period, nothing was growing in the blood cultures still, they will cap off the bile bag today-forcing it to drain inside as it should instead of both inward and outward (and monitor him for 24 hours after doing that), take him off IV antibiotics and switch him to one oral antibiotic (instead of 2-3 IV ones!) and see what happens in the next 24 hour period. 

 So it seems we are on the right track, or actually that Rays body is on the right track. So maybe just 24more hours at Duke and then he can break free! 

His spirits are better today (so thank you for those who may have been specifically praying for that!) 

This is all hard, on all of us....hard for him to be there, not feeling great and be away from us BUT also hard on the 3 of us as well. 

I am reminded and thankful as I think back to this transplant that TRULY this has been the first REAL BIG bump in the road in almost 4 years. That is a blessing for sure, and in 4 years Ray has been cured from Hep C...another blessing. So in the midst of a storm, feeling stressed, tired, ill, etc...I should reminded of those things. 

This is the life of a transplant patient....there will always be ups and downs, always things that can go wrong. While he is cured from the Hep C which constantly attacked his liver, he will always have a chance of something happening, rejection, an obstruction, etc....because for the rest of his life he lives with an organ that is not his. 

We just ask continued prayers for the next 48 hours and really over the next 6-18 weeks of correcting this obstruction and getting through this hurdle, this valley. 

Once Ray is released we will return for a follow up visit on Monday to Duke. 

Thanks everyone-

Ray and Janet