Lincoln was scheduled to get a percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram (PTC) yesterday to determine if his bile ducts were blocked. This would explain why Lincoln’s liver numbers have remained somewhat elevated and why he keeps getting fevers with no “cause”. However, in true Lincoln fashion, he got a fever on Monday, pushing the procedure to today.

Lincoln needed this procedure to stop bile from sitting in the area where his transplant surgeon attached his new liver’s bile ducts to his intestine – the anastomosis. This area was most likely narrow because of the sutures they placed. So, the radiologist today placed a balloon to widen the anastomosis site and a tube to allow bile to drain. The doctor said that Lincoln’s ducts were basically 99% blocked!

Luckily they were able to complete the procedure and now Lincoln has a drain coming out of his abdomen and collecting in a drainage bag. The radiologist was pretty confident that we wouldn’t have to go home with the bag, which is awesome. But the drain will stay in place for at least 6wks.

After 6wks, Lincoln will have another PTC to make sure flow is still going well and that the bile ducts are still open. If they are, the drain will come out! Of course, it would be great to be done with this after 6wks, but we are prepared to have this drain for a few months. In addition, Lincoln could have this procedure a few more times in the next few months to check on the tube or even increase its size.

Overall, this is a good thing that can prevent infections (cholangitis) in the future. While this narrowing of the bile ducts can happen again later down the road, it should be much later down the road. Lincoln has already eaten and is back to smiling!

Please keep Lincoln in your thoughts and prayers, especially as he learns to live with a drain for a little bit. Our hope is that this summer won’t be spent in the hospital like last, but it still won’t be a summer in which Lincoln is hospital free.