Another bleed, but...

Today is Day 28 post surgery.  Peter has been on the regular floor since Sunday, four days after the big bleed.  Yesterday he bled again, but his timing was impeccable.  The surgery team was actually just a few doors down from his room and came in as soon as the nurses came rushing in.  Dr. Kamin followed in within five minutes, and Dr. Jennings within ten minutes or less.  And this time, we were able to see exactly where the bleeding was coming from and fix it!! 

Peter has a small "hole" on his ileostomy stoma, which I noticed on Monday.  Jen, the nurse who held pressure on the stoma with last week's bleed, noticed a clot in that same spot last Wednesday after the bleeding stopped.  Drs. Kamin and Jennings both were made aware of the "hole" and the clot, and said that if we were to see another bleed and witness the bleeding from there, then we would know that it was the source of the big bleed last week, as we have all felt a little unsettled that the esophagus was the bleeding source given there was no blood in the g-tube and the stools that followed had no trace of blood in them for days.

So, yesterday, exactly one week from the first bleed, Peter bled again, but with his timing of it, we were all able to see the exact source of the bleed, stop it early so he did not need a transfusion or to go to the ICU, and to get it sutured closed.  How perfect is that scenario?!  Truly, we are all amazed!  Chris and I continue to fully believe there is a Divine plan to all of this, which we expect we will never know, but to call the timing of this a coincidence seems way too random to both of us. 

In terms of where this leaves us for future bleeds, we will need to pay attention for bleeds like we did years ago, and hope that this too shall pass.  There is a good chance that with a little more time away from surgery and with the resuming of enteral feeds, the portal hypertension will decrease.  However, as has always been the case, there is a possibility that the portal hypertension will increase too, and if it does, then we'll begin talks as to ways to decrease it. 

The wounds are improving, but the midline vac is still on.  I can see Peter's belly button again, and despite the surgical scars on his belly, seeing that little belly button where the fistula used to be just makes me want to smile and cry both at the same time. 

Peter gets another wound vac dressing change tomorrow and Dr. Jennings will decide if Peter can go home yet.  His lateral wound is looking really good now, and hopefully will close completely in another week or so.

As an aside, Flashes of Hope was at the hospital the other day and did a free photo shoot of Peter.  Per their website, http://www.flashesofhope.org/about/mission, "Flashes of Hope is a nonprofit organization that changes the way children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses see themselves through the gift of photography and raises money for pediatric cancer research."  I am really looking forward to seeing the photos when they arrive in a few weeks!