Shunt Revision Surgery

This week the CSF built up in Meara's head and wasn't draining like it should.  Finally, after she threw up Thursday we called Childrens and took her in on Friday for a MRI and consult.  The MRI showed that her ventricle was enlarged, meaning that the shunt has stopped working.  Her neurosurgeon is back in town on Monday, so we have a shunt revision surgery scheduled for 8:00am Monday morning with an overnight hospital stay to monitor the head wound and to get the required three doses of IV antibiotics.  Hopefully they will only have to open her up near the actual valve but they will test the entire shunt that runs through her body to figure out where the malfunction is.  The surgeon will be able to identify the problem area once he is in.

Meara has had this revision before, two weeks after the original shunt surgery.  She knows what is happening and the only thing she dislikes about it is the IV.  Otherwise she is in great spirits and doing just fine.  If the fluid continues to build over the weekend and she throws up again then we head down to the hospital right away and the on call surgeon will perform the surgery.

I want to extend a special request for a family that we are blessed to know by being on this journey. Ashlyn is nineteen and will be having grids placed on Monday by the same surgeon that Meara has.  She and her parents will be gathering information from the grids and making a decision about possible resection in order to gain control of Ashlyn's seizures.  Please pray and send love to this wonderful family.  The surgeon will be operating on Meara first, and then operating on Ashlyn next.  This family is incredibly brave and we surround them with love and strength.

Hug your kids today, hug your spouse, hug a neighbor.  You never know what kind of stuff life will throw at you at any given moment.  So live in the moment and be grateful for what you receive.  We love all of you and wish you peace.

Love,

Aaron & Megan