Brian got through his procedure. The doctors were able to successfully balloon the clot even though it was much larger than they had thought. They were also able to stimulate his collateral circulation by pushing blood through the collateral veins. I attempted to explain collateral circulation in a previous update with our analogy about driving to Ann Arbor. If the expressway is the superior vena cava (artery with the clot) then the side streets are the collateral circulation. We hope that with a clear flow, fluid will no longer be forced into Brian's tissue and chest preventing Brian from continuing to lose his white blood cells. His swelling would also go down. The nurses have joked with us that Brian read the CDH manual because he has taken on every possible complication. Katie Naves (one of Alyssa's closest friends that spent the day with us) asked for a sneak preview of the next chapter. Complications after today's successful procedure still include infection and the possibility of the procedure not working. Another concern is the effect the dye or contrast will have on Brian's already struggling kidneys. Prior to the procedure Brian has had adequate urine output. His problem has been high creatinine levels which indicate he is not eliminating toxins from his body. The contrast is another toxin. Worst case is he may need dialysis for a period of time. This whole situation feels like it's never going to end. Today Brian is 50 days old. Alyssa and I would like to know how many pages this manual has.