Pray, pray, pray

Earlier today I wrote that we weren't sure what was going to happen today because we had no itinerary after 2:30 p.m. All we knew is that Karl was supposed to have a heparin injection, consult with Dr. Yaszemski and Dr. Sawyer, a general surgeon.

The heparin injection was routine, but afterward we nervously busied ourselves, knowing that the meeting with Dr. Y would cause some tribulation. We waited in the consultation room for Dr. Y for an hour. After he arrived, he reiterated some of the details of the surgery along with some of the unpleasant things that could happen. Then he shipped us off to St. Mary's where we met with Dr. Sawyer who then had Karl admitted.

As I write this, Karl is undergoing a preliminary surgical procedure that will allow surgeons to find some "parts" easier tomorrow morning when the surgery actually begins. They said he would probably get back into the room around 8 p.m. Karl will get a quick bite to eat (poor guy hasn't eaten since last night), then they'll give him stuff to clean him out. Seems like an effort in futility if you ask me. Dr. Y said they would transfer him to the ICU unit on the 7th floor tonight so they could begin doing other prep work. However, nobody on the 8th floor seems to know what we're talking about when we bring it up.

Dr. Y said he'd like to be underway by 7:45 a.m. central time. He told us to be here by 6 a.m. if we wanted to make sure to see Karl before he goes to surgery. Mom has decided she will stay here tonight with Karl and I have to pick up Randy at the train station in Winona around 9:30. By the time we get back to Rochester it will be 10:30 p.m. so I'm not sure we will come back to the hospital.

Dr. Y told us about all the things that could go wrong. He has to. The other thing he told us is that Karl is a young guy who is in good shape. He said if all goes well, they could take out the tumor in one day and then go back in on Friday to rebuild the sacrum. I hope you will pray, pray, pray that all goes well...that God guides the hands of the surgeons, that everything is easy to clear, that the bleeding is minimal, that the tumor remains encapsulated, that Karl's vitals are stable throughout, and that he receives the best possible outcome.

In the meantime, one of the great things about the Mayo Clinic is that they have a nurse communicator who will talk to us every two hours during the surgery to let us know what is going on with Karl. I will try to update the blog whenever I hear any news.

The hill is about to get very steep, but as you know, Karl's a climber and it's no hill for him.

Kerry