So Caitlin wasn’t going to make this a Hallmark Christmas miracle, no. That’s too easy, too sentimental, and Caitlin, compassionate as she is, is not one for easy sentiment.
This is tough stuff she’s going through. She’s still in critical condition.
The lactate levels continue to rise. That indicates there is dead tissue somewhere. They need to find out where. They don’t think it’s coming from the left leg but will have Vascular look at it while they are in the OR.
They are going to make a small incision in her abdomen and visibly check the liver and the bowel. Hopefully they will see something they can remove… in any case, they will leave the incision open and covered for a few days so they can have access to the area and see what’s what. They will also open the chest covering, clean it out, and put another cover on. (Her chest is so swollen they can’t close her up yet; this is common after transplant). They will also do a bronchoscopy (clear out the lungs), as a lot of blood got down there yesterday.
This will happen in a few hours. They are basically going to move her entire “support” system into the OR, so as not to disrupt her as much as possible.
Everyone who worked on this very high-risk surgery has been in awe of Caitlin and how rugged her tiny tiger body has proven to be. But she’s in a quite hellish place right now, I won’t lie. A photo would scare you.
We need to stick with her. We knew it would be a very rough road, post-transplant, and it certainly is proving to be. But a successful outcome is the prize: Climbing hills in San Francisco with Jess, hiking in Maine with Andrew, traveling freely with her mostly companion (me) again.
I’ll send out a post when she goes into the OR. The incision is simple, but how much time in there will depend, of course, on what they find.
–The team
9 Lives Notes 