Surgery is a Success!

Callie had her surgery today. We were up at 4am to be in Marshfield for a 6:15 check in. The neurosurgeon put in a shunt since her first surgery did not work. The original surgery was an attempt to make the natural drain a little larger so the fluid would drain on its own. After our MRI on Friday it was determined the fluid was the same as the last MRI (prior to her previous surgery.) Putting in the shunt was our only option at this point. She has internal tubing that runs just under her skin from her brain to her abdomen. It just feels like a vain under her skin. They used a shunt that has a valve that can be set externally. Any time she would have an MRI it would just need to be reset. We pray this will work. We will always have to watch for infection or blockage of the shunt since it is hardware, however it does not sound like it is extremely common.

One of our Pastors came to visit us this morning while we were waiting for the surgery to be finished. It provided a nice distraction from our typical wait. It was very calming to have him here and say a prayer for Callie and our family. We cannot say enough great things about our Pastors and congregation for the support and prayers for our family.

Once surgery was completed we went to recovery to be with Callie. She was doing well and was admitted to the main Pediatrics floor. She has been sleeping most of the day with a few fussy periods. When she cries the surgical site on the top of her head bleeds more. They are watching it closely. She really has not ate all day. We are hoping that will increase by morning and we can go home tomorrow.

Also, Zak will be getting an x-ray on his ankle tomorrow. We were doing his normal routine stretching and we heard a pop in his ankle. He does not want to stretch it, stand on it or even have it touched. The doctors thought it would be best to have an x-ray just to rule out things. Hopefully it is just a matter of time and it will feel better.