11-25-06 Update

Hello Everyone,

Happy Holidays.
Sorry about the delay in getting the blog updated.
Kris was  moved back to Kentfield last Friday
after having the shunt placed successfully.
The swelling is visibly reduced and the doctors report
the shunt is functioning properly. So far, there are no changes
in Kris's status. He is still having sleep-wake cycles,
with part of his day having his eyes open, but still there
is no interaction with the outside world.His doctors tell us
they want to keep him at Kentfield for a few weeks so the
surgeon who placed the shunt can adjust it if the need arises.
The plan is to still have him transferred to Sutter
Sub-acute hospital in Sacramento once he is cleared to be
discharged from Kentfield.Thanks again for all your
support and compassion. It has been something
that we will always remember.

The Cello Family

Update 11.11.06

Friends and family,
The surgery went ahead as scheduled yesterday and Kris is in ICU at Marin General. We spoke with the neurosurgeon afterwards and the operation for placing the shunt went well. They drilled a small hole in the right side of his skull to place the shunt and made two incisions, one in his neck and one in his abdomen, to thread a tube to his stomach.

However, after the surgery in the recovery room, Kris did have a complication in one of his lungs known as a spontaneous pneumothorax. This is a sudden collection of air or gas in the chest that causes the lung to collapse. Luckily the surgeon was in the recovery room with Kris and quickly placed a tube in his lung to inflate it. It is unclear why this happened but it could be due to a past lung infection.

It looks like Kris will be in Kentfield for at least two weeks to adjust the shunt and monitor for progress.

Once again thank you for all the support!

The Cello Family

Update 11.09.06

Unfortunately Kris’s surgery was postponed again until Friday. He is having the surgery at Marin General Hospital and they seem to have a shortage of beds in ICU.

Again, we will keep you posted on his recovery.

The Cello Family

Update 11.07.08

Looks like Kris’s surgery will happen Wednesday 11.08.06 in the afternoon. We will keep you posted on his recovery.

The Cello Family

Update 11.01.06

Hello,

We wanted to let you know Kris’s surgery was postponed. Unfortunately the doctor discovered an infection yesterday and they cannot operate. He will be on antibiotics for a week and at the earliest will have the surgery next Wednesday. We will post an update as soon as we get the surgery re-scheduled.

Thanks for all the support!

The Cello Family