We finally busted out of the hospital. It seriously took all day to get discharged. Grrrr. BUT, on the bright side, Brent is finally home where he belongs. Here's hoping that things stay calm.

The CT scan showed the two fistulas, and they both are coming from the same spot in the small intestine. I have had several people ask for an explanation of what a fistula is. Here is a definition:

Fistula

A fistula is an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another structure. Fistulas are usually the result of injury or surgery. It can also result from infection or inflammation.

Inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, is an example of a disease that leads to fistulas between one loop of intestine and another. Injury can lead to fistulas between arteries and veins.



Hope that helps. Basically, he now has two tunnels that have formed from the same place in his small intestine, that lead out to the abdomen. One is draining into a drain that was inserted into the abscess, that is now a fistula, and the other drains out another hole in his belly. It's crazy.

He is now totally NPO, which means no food or fluids taken by mouth. I can't even imagine that, but he has to do it all of the time.

The hope is that by not putting anything down the intestines, and with the treatment of IV antibiotics, the fistulas will close off. That has never happened in the past. Because of his nonexistent immune system, he is not able to heal like a normal person does. We know that he will most likely end up in another surgery to remove the fistulas and fix the intestine. Dr. Price is not able to do surgery now while there is so much infection/inflammation going on. Hopefully we can just stay stable for awhile and let things heal.

We are just happy to be home. If you care to visit, please call first. And if you even have a hint of an illness, please just send an email or a phone call. Thanks.

Lisa