Thursday, December 18th

Dave only has ONE TUBE LEFT! Dave had his appointment in Omaha today and Dr Grant took out his t-tube (the tube that was in his bile duct)!!! Everything went very well. They had Dave stay at the hospital for 2 hours afterward just to make sure he was able to tolerate the tube being out. He will need to carefully watch for negative side effects for the next couple of days (i.e. running a temperature, feeling poorly) He is feeling very tired and is running a low grade temperature right now. Dave does not have another appointment set up for Omaha at this time. He will have labs done in Lincoln on Monday.

Dr Grant said the g-tube (feeding tube from way back when) will stay in until sometime this spring. They will repair the 2 hernias and take out the g-tube at the same time. To take out the g-tube they will need to stitch up the lining of the stomach as well as the skin around the opening. Dave's liver will be evaluated prior to this spring procedure to make sure they don't have to remove any part of it.

Thanks for all your concern, support, and prayers over the past 6 months. We want to wish each of you a very blessed Christmas as we celebrate our Savior's birth!