8th Day In Hospital: A Day Marked By Progress And New Challenges (November 14, 2024)

Today brought a step forward… finally, things started to move! It’s a relief to hit this milestone as we wrap up our ninth day in the hospital. But as promising as it is, it doesn’t mean the blockage has fully cleared. In fact, doctors now think there may be more than one blockage.

The surgical team we were counting on for a decision today requested extra time. They’re digging deeper into options, and their delay is rooted in some concerns they have. Ali’s ongoing fluid buildup presents multiple challenges if they do decide to operate. First, the presence of fluid raises the risk of infection during surgery. Then, even after surgery, healing could be complicated by fluid that keeps accumulating, which again puts her at risk of infection. Lastly, if they create a bypass from her stomach to her small intestine, the constant fluid shifts Ali experiences with each abdominal paracentesis cycle would interfere with that connection, making it vulnerable to strain over time.

Location matters, too… doctors said the blockage seems to be deeper down in her intestines, which could make it hard to reach with an endoscopic procedure. There’s also a possibility that we’re dealing with multiple blockages, not just one, which would make a bypass risky. If there’s no clear path to bypass, it would just be blocked again. They’re focused on giving Ali options that don’t come with unnecessary risks, so the wait is really about being thorough.

Around 4:00 PM, her nasogastric tube decided to take a detour and fell out. It was alarming, to say the least, but apparently, it can happen. The downside is they had to put it back in around 8:00 PM. The doctors and nurses gave her a bit of a break without it, knowing how uncomfortable it’s been for her.

Tomorrow at 11:00 AM, Ali has another abdominal paracentesis procedure to drain the fluid around her stomach. It’s pretty distended now, and they’re expecting to remove over three liters this time. Ali’s favorite interventional radiologist nurse (pictured) will be doing the procedure, and she even stopped by today to check in and offer a bit of extra support.

Tomorrow’s shaping up to be a long, important day. We’re hoping for more clarity and a clearer path forward to manage these blockages… or at least a better idea of the options ahead.