Surgery Success!

Surgeon Myers:  If anyone can pull through this, River can!!  Look at what she's already come through"  She has not only endured it, she's come through cheerfully and with spirit.

Just as they were pushing in her anesthesia for 14 hour surgery.

Moxie - definition - energy, pep, courage, determination, know-how
River with her make a wish key - it is also special because it looks like the key on Indian in the Cupboard.  We are currently reading #5 of the series.

Left:  Surgeon that has done her biopsy, embolization and dye markers

Just to the right of him - Anesthesiologist

River was under anesthesia for 14 hours - One and a half hours to place dye in the right lung where one of the tiny spots of cancer was - surgeon said it was deep and so small she couldn't feel it.  She was so glad they had pre-marked the spot.  He also marked the vein in the liver that needed to feed the part of liver that was saved.
They also had to place numerous IVs - including one in her neck that goes directly into the jugular. River's port was also removed - it was right in the area they needed to work on.

The blue is cancer - where the tumors were.  6 nodules were also removed from her right lung.
The yellow is what came out.  The tumor furthest down was removed first and then the rest was taken out as a big chunk - lobes 5, 6 and 1 were saved.  The vein to them is not excellent - but it is there :)
The hepatic vein was also an unknown if it was able to be saved - the cancer was surrounding it.  She was able to shave off bit by bit and had 2 mm before the vein.
Notice the blue and yellow is quite a ways out of the border of the liver - the cancer had grown through the diaphragm and into the lower right and mid right lung lobes.  Surgeon also removed the diaphragm on her right side along with the pherenic nerve and the lower parts of her right lung.

This is a lot to ask a body!  Friday Drs and those checking on her have been amazed that her breathing tube is out!  They have said that a lot of kids don't really breathe well after surgery because it hurts too much.  This is amazing that without the diaphragm muscle on that right side and with all the lung work she is breathing okay on her own - with oxygen, but without the breathing tube.

It is a dance between pain and pain meds.  To give her enough so she is comfortable would be too much meds for her body and she would stop breathing.  To breathe is more important than being comfortable.  -
River looks like a spaghetti bowl with tubes and ivs and monitors....
She has 5 draining tubes - 2 for the lungs, 1 for her stomach and 2 more for the abdomen.  She has a PCA - a machine where she pushes a button every time she feels like she needs more pain meds.  It delivers a constant low dose and also when she pushes the button - it will only deliver it after 10 minutes have passed after the last dose, but a good gauge of how her pain is being managed as to how many times she is pushing the button.

How firm a Foundation kept running through my head as she was in surgery

1. 1. How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
   Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
   What more can he say than to you he hath said,
   Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,
   Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
2. 2. In ev'ry condition--in sickness, in health,
   In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth,
   At home or abroad, on the land or the sea--
   As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,
   As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.
3. 3. Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
   For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
   I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
   Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
   Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
4. 4. When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
   The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow,
   For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
   And sanctify to thee, and sanctify to thee,
   And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
5. 5. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
   My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
   The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
   Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
   Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
6. 7. The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
   I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
   That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
   I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never,
   I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

Whistling before surgery - she had no fear.

 Reading Patrick McManus with Daddy - "Never sniff a gift fish"

Silver painted one hand - Summer the other

The morning before surgery - River wanted to play Clue Circus again!  We played it the night before and she wanted to get one more game in before surgery!  She loves mystery and trying to figure out the clues!

Diagram surgeon drew before surgery - where 6 lung nodules are and where tumors are and part she wanted to save.

River's diagram :)  Lungs and Liver Before and Now

Patrick McManus 

"Poof no Eyebrows"

and "Grasshopper Trap"

Fitted for hearing aids

River with her audiologist

I told her she is probably the first person in the history of ever to play a glockenspiel with a key and a mallet in her mouth!!

Glorious Day Headed into hopsital

We went to the Make-A-Wish Building the night before admit to hospital.  

With stars from wish kids - each star is a wish granted.