For all you patiently waiting folks..

Alex went back for his liver surgery a while ago and we just got our first update that they started about 20 minutes ago and everything is going good. 

Our next update won't be for an hour to hour and a half...

Here's what we learned...

This is and has the potential to be a very large and dangerous surgery. They will be monitoring Alex very closely and as always take such great care of him. 

They will be cutting a line from side to side and then from the center up toward his sternum. This gives them access and visual of the major arteries going and coming from the liver. This organ acts as a blood filter so imagine how close they are working to his amazing new heart. Normally they like to give these types of patients an epidural to control pain after surgery, but because of bleeding risks they will only be able to help manage his pain with a pump thing.. It's going to be ugly to wake up from.

The surgery itself will be to remove the infected portion. Unfortunately they need to feel the liver to see if it is hard as a rock or soft. Inflammation can cause it to go very hard. If it is hard trying to cut a rock is not going to go super smooth. They would most likely need to remove enough of his liver to including the inflamed portion. That is a total wait and see thing. 

He will still need his drain, PICC line, big art lines(neck) and we are planning on seeing him come out intubated. 

It all sort of socked us in the stomach. I just assumed we would be going in real quick to take this sucker out.. It's way bigger than that. 

Thanks for all the prayers.