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ok, I'm not trying to be debbie downer or anything, but in case you would like to know...
CARY's health update:
Today Cary met with the research doctor that performed the first "surgery" in Indianapolis last november (07). He was our second opinion on where Cary is now, and it is as expected. People with his rare condition are graded on 4 types, A,B,C,D. Cary was a level C, which is pancreatitis with chronic pain. His pancreas is basically eating away at itself as previously stated. They can't reverse it, but they do have a treatment to try and slow it down. The treatment is mroe for pain though than anything. The treatment consist of monthly shots that shut down the pancreas little by little, so its not overworking and causing hte pain. The Research doctor feels this is where Cary is at...
Cary will have to return in February to do more samples for insurance purposes, and so the docotor can look at the stricture in his pancreas and bile duct and measure them for stents. He will try to correct those.
After this procedure they will want to begin monthly injections to shut down the pancreas partly. He also mentioned if its causing too much pain, he is seriously considering a nerve block as well. Cary is to up his pancreatic enzyme supplements, too.
The good news is Cary is with the right doctor and at the right place, this is one of the best places if not the best, in the United States to be at for pancreatic research. The doctor told him as he starts new clinical trials and as them come up with more ideas, Cary will definitely be a candidate to try them. They are starting a clinical trial right now, but he can't participate since we dont' live up there right now.
So where do we go from here, well, physically its a downhill ride for health. The doctor is amazed that there was so much damage in so small a time. The strictures were not there a year ago when he did his procedure. Cary will eventually not be able to eat and will have to be tube fed. Then that will quit working and he'll move on to TPN's (IV nutrition). Then at this point he will be incredibly sick, and then he will be a candidate for a transplant. The doctor told us, again, unless he dies some sort of accident, this will kill him. We just don't know how long...
Cary told him how he is working on his PhD in Psychology and he's doing his dissertation on the psychology of chronic conditions or something to that effect. The doctor said there was a great need for that especially since lots of patients don't handle this well and have a great amount of depression. He said Cary might be able to really help them, since he's going through the suffering himself.
He was glad that Cary was so happy, considering... well, we all know why don't we? :)
The plan, Lord willing, is to go up in February for the procedure. We hope to move back into our home up there by Mid-April. The doctor where we live knows his research doctor and they can work hand in hand so Cary can be hospitalized a mile or two from our home, and just go for Indy for special procdures/treatments.
I have two pregnant technicians at work, I'm packing up my baby things for them. The doctor told Cary to really consider whether to have children or not. Cary told him, well, we have two. He said it would be really hard, so I guess we won't be trying for that girl.
Please keep us in your prayers, noone knows what the future holds, we don't know how long we'll be blessed with Cary working here on this earth. But we put everything in the Lord's hands, and we will trust in Him and praise him until the very end.
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