Simple Joys in Life: Stop the Presses!

Friday, July 29, 2005

Stop the Presses!

Anthony will complete TWO FULL WEEKS at day care today! He's been going to this day care since the first Monday in May, and he finally will make two weeks in a row! Go, baby!

Everything is still wonderful in our world. We're planning a quiet weekend at home, and then a busy Monday morning with labs, a visit to our local ENT and then a round of immunizations.

I'll update Monday with lab results and stuff. Have a great weekend!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Love, Laurie, Mark and Anthony

Coming up in Anthony-land:
Saturday: Church with Nana and Grandpa
Sunday: Lunch with Maw Maw, Paw Paw and Maw Maw Peck
Monday: a slew of medical stuff and then a relaxing afternoon with the two Maw Maws

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Sounds like a "quiet weekend at home" is just what the doctor ordered. Nothing wrong with that!Check in next week. Love to all!; July 29, 2005 1:29 PM

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About Biliary Atresia

Biliary atresia is a progressive inflammatory process that begins very soon after birth. In the most common form, called extrahepatic biliary atresia, the delicate ducts outside the liver are affected first. White blood cells invade the ducts, which become damaged and may whither or completely disappear. Bile is trapped inside the liver and rapidly causes damage and scarring to the liver cells. Further scarring of the liver tissue may result in cirrhosis.

On average, there is one case of biliary atresia out of every 15,000 live births. Females are affected slightly more often than males. In the United States, approximately 300 new cases are diagnosed each year.

The cause of biliary atresia is unknown. Auto-immune mechanisms may be partly responsible for the progressive process that takes place. Recent research suggests that a viral infection in susceptible infants could result in biliary atresia. About 10% of cases have other associated congenital defects in the heart, blood vessels, intestine, or spleen.

Although the cause is uncertain, it is known that biliary atresia affects only newborns; it is not hereditary; it is not contagious; and it is not preventable.

A surgical procedure called the Kasai (hepatoportoenterostomy) can be performed in hopes of saving the liver. With the Kasai, the liver is connected directly to the small intestine, circumventing the gall bladder. The Kasai is usually successful in 1/3 of cases, while the other 2/3 result in the need for a liver transplant. Anthony's team of doctors were unable to diagnose Anthony with biliary atresia, and the Kasai was never performed. We learned after his transplant that the Kasai would never have worked, and we would have traveled the same road to transplant.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Stop the Presses!

1 comment:

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