The day we dreaded has arrived. Shunt surgery day. Now that we have been through the whole surgery thing once we know a little more about what to expect and a busy more to prep. As promised, they tapped her and sent down CSF for protein level testing early this morning - they came back at 213 so everyone agreed to proceed and was comfortable with. Went over the procedure and last min details and signed the consent form with the neurosurgery team also this morning. They will pltry to place the shunt in nearly the same place the reservoir was (front right side of head) and she will have a small incision behind the right ear and just below her belly button also where they will feed the tube down and coil in her stomach. The Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Shunt they were putting in was self regulating OSV Valve.
There was a minor hiccup this morning with Morgan's blood tests which almost delayed surgery- her clotting factor level was low so they wanted to retest to make sure. At this point I was just ready to have it done and over so was a bit annoying but the 2nd test came back ok. Of course this was after the lab tech poked her a few times and finally called in the nurse practitioner in order to draw some blood- I HATE watching this and Morgan is crying and so uncomfortable. Next they put her IV in- thankfully this time they got an experienced nurse to put in the first time since they always have issues. Then cleansing bath- rub her whole body down with these wipes. Spoke to the anesthesiologist again about the process and said the surgery would take about 1/2 hour but whole thing is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
We ended up waiting over 2 hours while Morgan was in surgery and were starting to get quite nervous but then the surgeon came out and said it went "very well" again- whew. They were able to extubate her right away before they brought her back up to the NICU also which was great- she looked pretty good right after and I was able to hold her this evening also! I slept much better than I have in a long time- a relief it is over, now lets have her recover quickly and get out of here!
My Journey with hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy
Morgan Grace was born 3 1/2 months early on Aug, 21, 2012 weighing just 1 lb 7 oz and 13 inches long. Morgan was hospitalized at Children's Hospital NICU in Minneapolis, MN for 108 long days. During this time she encountered many medical challenges common to "micro preemies" but most devastating was to hear she had suffered from grade III/IV Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH / brain bleed). We were told she may never walk or talk and they would not be able to tell the severity of the damage until she is older. The IVH resulted in Hydrocephalus, a condition she will have for life. At two, Morgan was also diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
I have found it very difficult to find information online - stories and information on hydrocephalus, shunts and people's experiences - so decided to write this blog to share what we have been through. I hope some day that Morgan can take over writing from her perspective. More importantly I hope maybe it can shed some light for other hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy patients and families. We welcome comments and questions.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain", is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. It is more common in infants, although it can occur in older adults.
The cause of Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that occurs while the brain is developing. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a child's muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.
I have found it very difficult to find information online - stories and information on hydrocephalus, shunts and people's experiences - so decided to write this blog to share what we have been through. I hope some day that Morgan can take over writing from her perspective. More importantly I hope maybe it can shed some light for other hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy patients and families. We welcome comments and questions.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain", is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. It is more common in infants, although it can occur in older adults.
The cause of Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that occurs while the brain is developing. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a child's muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.
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