Simple Joys in Life: Katrina Pictures Part One

Monday, August 29, 2005

Katrina Pictures Part One

Keep in mind that we're in Baton Rouge and just getting the heavy rains and low wind gusts. So this is not going to be an indicator of what New Orleans and the surrounding areas looks like. Mark said that they clocked wind gusts up to 31 mph on the levee here in Baton Rouge this morning. That's REALLY low comparatively speaking.

Anyway, here are two pictures. One Mark took standing in the street this morning (you can see Anthony and me in the garage). The second is our back fence. Our neighbors over the fence lost at least two banana trees into our yard. There are tiny little bananas on there!

I checked the rain gauge in the front yard, and it says 1.5 inches so far!

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Check back later. If we have power, I'll keep blogging pictures.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Very glad to hear that the strongest part of the storm missed you! Hoping you are all safe and dry,

Terry Josephson, Julianna Banana's dad
www.caringbridge.org/canada/julianna; August 29, 2005 3:49 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.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Katrina Pictures Part One

1 comment:

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