embolization before resection
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Amen on the support and well wishes, coming from here as well! I’m not sure of what sections of my liver were removed, I just know the entire right lobe and half of the left were removed. Within 2-3 days of the surgery, my liver functions were 100% normal. It’s a great positive that you have surgeons you trust, you have to put your faith in them at some point in this journey. Wishing you the best in your current ’embolization’ procedure and subsequent resection!!
Kris…..Finding the “competent physician” in whom you trust is a huge step in the right direction. You are fortunate to have done so.
Know that a tidal wave of support is heading your way.
Hugs and love,
MarionKris, Congratulations on being normal with your feelings. We are all scared before something new and different. May I suggest they put tiny stop and go lights in permantly set on green for go and little one way signs. I am praying so hard for the biggest success. A million big hugs!
LeeAnn:
Thanks for the post. It’s nice to hear about people that have had successful resections.
And Lainy: Thanks for the offer. My parents will be flying up for the resection but not for the embolization.
I know I shouldn’t worry as much as I am, but it seems nothing about any of the procedures or surgeries they do are “normal”. By normal, I mean they are always having to turn left to go right when it comes to my situation. I just would like for one thing to not have an additional complication!
It is so tempting to put this all off, as I am otherwise healthy. I have very little discomfort, in the scheme of things. Very little pain. And since they stopped chemo in Nov. I haven’t had to go to the hospital at all! (Yep, it’s the little things)
But I know I need the surgery. And if the tumor starts growing again I’ll be in trouble with operability again. It doesn’t make it easier emotionally, tho. I am putting my life into not one but 2 doctor’s hands within weeks, and what I heard yesterday is scary. I would love to tell them to wait. Maybe the nanoparticles I’ve been reading about will help? Maybe the tumor will keep shrinking and disappear? And MAYBE I’m wishing for too much, but the brain won’t stop asking.
I know I have to trust that my doctors know more than I do, and have weighed the options and the dangers. After all, this is what they do. But it doesn’t seem to get thru to my brain.
KrisDearest Kris, I wish I could be by your side! But I will be praying for God to come through the Doctor’s hands.
Hi Kris,
My doctor was going to do it before the surgery, but MRI showed it was already block on my right side of liver. So I had natural embolization:)
They took more than 60% of my liver and last CT showed my left got bigger and working fine.
Good luckI met with the radiologist today and she said this is, while not common, done more often than I know. I said no one had answered this post saying they had it done. But I digress:
The embolization is set for March 5th. Under normal circumstances (those who know me, know I am NOT normal) she would go in thru the left vein and block it off. Well, the left vein has 3 branches, 2 of which look like they’ve already been clipped. The remaining branch is so skinny and snaky that she doesn’t feel she would be able to puncture it and complete the embolization.
Now here’s the scary part.
She plans on going thru the right branch of the vein and following it until she gets into the left branch and can close it off. If she damages the right side in any way I will lose blood flow to the good part of my liver.
I had 3 radiologists try to do an embolization this past summer. 2 failed. Dr. Brown is the one who succeeded. And my surgeon says she is the best. I told her he said that and I trust her, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. One mistake and there’s no reason for a resection…
I just have to think positively and trust that God is watching over me. But it’s hard to do.Kris,
I have no idea. I haven’t read about anyone going through this. I feel the need to recognize your Dr in a positive way. It seems they really do think outside of the box and it has worked out for you. It seems so many others on here have had experiences where it appears their Drs have given up hope and they run out of options before they are even explored. I guess that is why everyone encourages second and third opinions.
Keep us posted on what you decide to do!
Susie
Hi,
I do not have any EXPERIENCE on radioembolization But I think it is a good choice to do it a few week to 2 months before resection in your case.
depending on how much is left after resection,you need at least 20% of the liver left to function correctly,
In your case ,all your left lobe and the caudate lobe and 2 out of four segments from the right liver are resected ;it is a big surgery.god luck and
God bless.Hi all:
My surgeon has suggested I have an embolization before the resection. The tumor is stable and finally operable. Since the tumor is stable, he suggests we “grow” the right side of the liver by blocking off the vein/artery (I always get them wrong) that branches off to the left side of the liver. That would cause the right side to do all the work BEFORE surgery. And cause it to grow. I don’t know how long before resection will happen: I guess it depends on how long it takes my liver to respond. And the stability of the tumor.
The tumor is in the very very top of 1, 4a and 8. But it started in a bile duct and had a thin tail that meandered thru 2 at the start of all this. The little bit in the bile duct can’t be seen anymore.
The resection will take out 1, 2, 3, 4a, 4b and parts of 5 and 8. Which leaves me with just 6, 7 and parts of 5 & 8 when the resection is done. So “growing” the right side makes sense to me.
I looked thru many of the titles in this section and didn’t see any postings like this. Has anyone on this site had this procedure before resection? Was it successful? And did the liver react fairly quickly? I realize that anyone else’s outcome won’t necessarily be the same as mine, but I was just wondering.
I’m a little nervous about doing anything because I feel healthy and the tumor is stable. But I’m also nervous about the tumor starting to grow and thus make it inoperable again.Kris
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