Less bile, more smile!

That is one corny title. It could be a Hallmark card, except for the word bile. That doesn't make it in very many greeting cards, which I think is a shame.

Anyway, here's the brief synopsis of today's procedure. Dr. Lane was successful in putting in a drain for the bile, which is really great news. And while he couldn't get a proper biopsy like he would have liked, he was able to get some cells from the pancreas, I believe. These should be enough to diagnose the type of cancer, though Dr. Johl will make that call. We'll be talking with both doctors on Friday, and it seems likely that Patio will go home Friday, even though no one has said that definitively. We're trying to get the bone scan before she goes home if we can. It will take about two weeks for the jaundice color to clear up completely.

It was really great having Courtney with us in the hospital today, and I'm happy that she and Brooke posted such loving messages for Patio. I'll be bringing in copies of all the comments to share with Mom tomorrow. Thanks everyone for contributing. It's a big support.

Much love,
Dave