Another update

An update on Palmer from my Aunt Mary Alice.

Hello all,

I know this is more information than some of you want, but there are some of you that want the details! So here goes!!!

Palmer’s surgery went very well last Friday. His 4-5 hour surgery lasted about 3.5 hours. The surgeron removed the right lobe of his liver and a part of the left which totaled about 70% of the liver being removed. He then used a process called radio frequency ablation (nuked) on the remaining portion. Palmer did not require a blood transfusion, which is unusual for liver surgery. Dr. Hemming said the liver looked good and had responded well to the chemo. In other words the chemo had done the job they were hoping it would. Remember, the liver will rejuvenate itself, but I don’t know how long that will take. He was in recovery about one hour and then moved to ICU. However, it took about two hours before they got his pain medication pump working. Christy was in ICU during that time and she said after the third pump, the nurses begain taking parts of different ones and putting them together to get one to work! I think the one they put together worked very well, because that evening they took it from him for a while. He had gotten pretty loopy!

On Saturday, the doctor said he would be moved from ICU to an intermediate care room. However, that never happened on Saturday. Either they didn’t have a room or the skeletol crew for the week-end never got it together. He did get a liquid lunch and dinner on Saturday. The nurses said that normally patients did not get meals in ICU. When Christy called his nurse Saturday morning (she could not go into ICU before 11:00) to see how he was doing, the nurse reported he was complaining of being bored. I guess that was a good sign!

Palmer was moved from ICU on Sunday to a private room. Christy kept inquiring about his move and the head nurse in ICU wanted to know if there was a reason she was insisting that he be moved. She told her that Palmer’s brother was bringing John Palmer and Robbie to Gainesville to see their father and they couldn’t see him if he remained in ICU. The nurse assured her they would work something out. So a little before 2:00 he was transferred out of ICU. The boys had a good visit and were reassured that their father was doing well.

I talked with Christy this morning and she said they had taken the IV out and removed the pain medication pump. All medications will be administred by mouth. She said he was complaining about his room. He must be improving too fast!

One of Christy’s very good friends from high school lives in Gainesville and works in the stem cell research department at Shands (not the controversy research). Her husband also works at Shands. They come by frequently to check on how the patient is doing and how Christy is holding up. Christy has been staying with them at night. We don’t know when Palmer will come home. He was told originally that he would be in the hospital 7-10 days. Of course he is counting on less!

My sister Helen, came from North Carolina to help with the boys. She is doing very well following all the notes and instructions Christy left for school procedures, lunches, car pooling, baseball and football practice, piano and drum lessons, meals, homework, etc. What Christy didn’t plan for was a tropical storm with all the rain, losing power for five hours Thursday night and the cancelling of school on Friday. I am grateful that she was able to come. I couldn’t have done it without her help!

Christy and Palmer know they have been very blessed and are indeed grateful for all your prayers and well wishes. I know you will continue to pray for a complete recovery. Thank you!

Talk with you all later,
Mary Alice