Surgery didn't happen today

I know all of you were eager to hear the outcome of Jack's surgery today... but it didn't get to take place after all. Here in his words is what happened:


I went in this morning for the celiac plexus nerve ablation, the procedure where they kill the nerve bundle that is causing the pancreatic pain. The blood counts from yesterday were fine and I spent the morning receiving IV fluids. I was taken to the operating room, connected to all the monitors, and prepped for the surgery.


Just minutes prior to being anesthetized, the doctor noticed that my heart rate was extremely low (low 40s) and there were occasional “skips” (pvc’s) in the heart beat.


He said that since this procedure had as one of its side-effects the drastic lowering of the blood pressure, he couldn’t run the risk of proceeding until he had my heart checked out.


I have never had any cardiac problems, so I’m assuming this is an anomaly. In fact, the doctor said that the chemo might be a contributing factor. He called Dr. Taylor, my primary care physician, and he is setting up some cardiac tests to make sure everything is okay.


My hope is that I can have the tests done quickly and then reschedule the nerve ablation. Of course, I’m disappointed, but I’m grateful for the caution of the doctor and look forward to clearing this up and moving ahead with the procedure.


Thanks so much for your prayers today. I’m convinced they were heard!