Post-op Update

     Ethen is now in recovery after what turned out to be a 5 hour procedure (ended around 1 pm). The surgical team kept us up-to-date with the progress of the surgery every hour, which was helpful considering the operation went a little longer than anticipated. We are thankful to report that the surgeon got all of the tumor (at least as much as he could see). The surgeon said Ethen did well throughout the surgery. He lost a minimal 25 ml(/cc) of blood; however, he will need a transfusion at some point because of his low hemoglobin count. The surgeon did have to open Ethen's abdomen (about a 6 inch incision). Additionally, the surgeon added a couple IVs for surgery, which will need to be removed; he added a gastric tube (which was planned, but I failed to mention in the previous post); he changed out the Hickman line (also planned); and placed a Foley catheter. Ethen will receive scans (CT and MIBG) in a couple weeks to determine more accurately if any tumor remains. If any remains, these spots would receive a "boost" of radiation after the standard dose of phase 2 treatment protocol.
     For the interested reader, the tumor was resected from three places (though connected by tenuous tissue [as we understand]). The main mass (a little larger than a golf ball) was removed along with Ethen's right adrenal gland from which the tumor appears to have originated. The next largest mass (about the size of a stick of chewed gum) was found near Ethen's left kidney. Then there was a smaller mass (about the size of a half a stick of chewed gum) in Ethen's thoracic region near his superior vena cava. The two larger masses were described as very hard and the third was a bit softer. All tumor tissue was sticky—it had to be pried away from his kidney, liver, and vena cava. This may be why the surgery took a bit longer than anticipated. All of the tissue has been sent to the lab for analysis.
     Please pray that Ethen recovers quickly and completely. He is in pain now, which is to be expected, but pray that we can help to manage the pain well. Thank you for your prayers. We praise God for his grace in the surgery.