The journey continues…

Megan was admitted to our local hospital for an Esophageal Scope (EDG). A procedure they told us had to be performed every six months or sooner if bleeding occurs. During the procedure, a camera is inserted down her throat to see if any varices have developed. When someone has a bad liver it can cause a restriction which prevents the blood from flowing through the liver like it normally would. The easiest way to think about it is if you are blowing through a straw and someone squeezes it. The air has to go somewhere so it comes out the side of your mouth. In Megan’s case her portal vein is unable to function properly, so smaller veins shoot off like roots from a tree routing blood in other directions in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Esophagus veins are tiny and can push through and burst. This bleeding can be fatal because the veins are so tiny and difficult to get to. The doctors use the scope to check the throat and stomach, which are the most common locations for signs of a potential problem. During this visit, the doctors found four varices that had to be dealt with to keep them from bleeding in the future. The process is to put a tiny band around them that eventually falls off and forces the vein to go another direction. Outside her body you would never know that this was happening which is the scary part. We left the hospital the next day feeling very lucky they found the varices when they did. 

Megan continued cheering for her High School and rooting for her Kansas City Chiefs and living her life as normal as possible.  At this point, very few people knew what was going on.