MD Anderson is where we will be going 7-27-23

We got back from another trip to MD Anderson for another scan and to talk about the possibility of another surgery to resect his liver.

He had received 4 FOLFIRI treatments and 3 with a drug called Avastin that inhibits the growth of blood vessels. The idea is to prevent the cancer from being able to grow blood vessels.

We met with the liver surgeon the following day and he went over the results with us. The big news is that the tumors are smaller and that they want to move forward with surgery.

There are two types of liver resection that can be done. The least aggressive is parenchymal sparing resection. This type is basically excavation work to remove the liver tumors. The second is a two-stage approach. The first stage would be to remove the left lobe of the liver and then the day after the surgery would be to do a portal vein embolization. A portal vein embolization is when they divert the blood flow to the side they resected so it has more blood to regenerate. Yes, - the fun fact is that the liver can regenerate - if it is healthy enough.

4 weeks after surgery they would do a CT scan to see how well the left side has grown. If it has regenerated at a fast enough rate Zach will go back in 2 weeks later for them to resect the right side.

The surgeon is planning on doing the 2-stage approach unless he can do the parenchymal sparing resection. He won't officially know until he opens Zach's abdomen up and can see his liver and also do an ultrasound directly on the liver. It is better to plan for the two stages because there are more moving parts to that surgery. There are a few things that could stop the surgeon from doing the resection. The first is if his liver appears blue in color - that means it isn't healthy enough to regenerate. The second is if there are smaller tumors all around the liver - which he would see on an ultrasound.

The stay in the hospital will be 3-5 days and then another week or so in Houston until we will get the go-ahead to fly home.

Zach has been thinking of doing a few shifts back in the office as he will be off chemo for the next 6 weeks until surgery. He misses being in the office and seeing his co-workers. Zach still has his hair except for being thin and he has lost weight, but other than that he looks fine and it tricks your mind into thinking everything is fine. The reality is that it isn't fine. Zach's liver is showing signs of struggling as his spleen is enlarged and working overtime to compensate for the liver. However, chemo is extremely toxic to the liver so there is some expectation that his liver function is lower. This is why he will be off chemo for 6 weeks to give his liver a chance to detox and regain better function.

A little update on me:

I will be closing my studio at the end of August so I can devote all my time to my family. Caring for Zach after surgery and being there for our son, Silas. It has been extremely difficult over the last 9 months and it is time for me to say goodbye to my space and it feels so right.

I will be having a furniture sale and will sell some photography equipment the weekend of August 19 and 20. If you are interested I would love to have you stop by - the address is 485 New Park Ave. West Hartford, CT 06110.

An update on Silas:
He is doing okay. The sadness creeps in just like it does to me and we work through it. We found a therapist for him to go to and there is a bearded dragon as an office pet, which Silas was thrilled about.

Prayers:

We ask that you pray for peace and that we have the strength to accept the will God has for our lives. We pray for a miracle and that Zach is to be healed here on Earth, but we know that isn't promised. We pray for calm over our minds and hearts as we enter this new chapter in our lives. We pray the cancer doesn't grow over the next 6 weeks he is off chemo. We pray for the hearts and minds of those around us would be filled with peace and calmness.

-Amber