Update

Just talked to Dr. Sutherland and they have completed the removal of the pancreas, appendix, and spleen. Fortunately he saw no indication that the colon had been damaged, which we were worried about, so he won't be removing any of the colon.

He also said that he was able to see a large obstruction in the main pancreatic duct (probably the whole root of the problem), and that the preliminary tests on her insulin production were promising.

Now we are waiting, and he anticipates beginning the second half of the procedure 2-3hours from now. The pancreas has been sent to the lab for a disection where they will remove the islet cells that produce insulin. They most likely won't be back and ready to be implanted until 4 or 5 pm.

When he begins the second portion of the procedure Dr. Sutherland will begin repairing the ducts and rerouting her digestive tract. Hopefully by the time he completes that the islet cells will be here and he can insert whatever cells they were able to harvest into the liver.

We won't know what level of insulin production she will be able to have afterwords until the end of the procedure, but particularly with the promising initial test results it will be high. If the islet cells do take and they were able to harvest enough cells, she would be a very mild diabetic or possibly still be on the low side of the normal range (the doctor wouldn't say what the odds of this actually are, but we are hoping and Praying).

In summary, the surgery has gone as well as we could ask for so far, and the fact that he isn't removing any of the colon is a major relief and should make recovery and possible complications somewhat better. We still ask for your Prayers and Support, hopefully God will continue to bless us and Heal Jennie quickly.