Shunting, it is.

We are back from the neurosurgeon this morning. The one that we will be using going forward (he had been on vacation last week). He seems to be a very nice man and has done tons of these suregeries over the years. He introduced himself to us, and put his hand on CeCe's head and said "This child needs a shunt."

Brian and I are ready (or as ready as we can be) for this. They weren't able to get her in for Wednesday so we are on for this Friday for the procedure. She is set for 12:30pm assuming everything else is on schedule (and WE'VE ALL BEEN THROUGH THAT BEFORE!) She can't eat after 7:30am and the surgery isn't for abother 5 hours....this should be interesting.

For the faint of heart....STOP READING HERE. Those who want detials...forge ahead.

He will basically drill a small hole on the back right side or her skull and feed in the drian tube that will he will feed down her neck and into her abdomen...where the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) will be reabsorbed by her body. This is called a VP Shunt (Ventriculoperitoneal) vs the other option for those that can't tolerate this type called a VA Shunt (Ventriculoatrial...i.e. it empties into the right atrium of the heart...yikes! I'll take one VP shunt, to go, please!)

The shunt itself will be under her skin and eventually will just be a lumpy bit covered by her hair. It's programmable and magnetic, which means they can make adjustments from time to time with magnets to control how much fluid flows in and out and how quickly. Sound scary to you? It does to us too, but if she needs it, she needs it.

Her follow up will be every 4-6-8 weeks at first so they can get everything functioning the way it needs to be....then we'll just keep a watchful eye for any signs that the shunt needs revising. Shunts are persnickity...some last 2 years and some last 20 years...but eventually she will have to go through this again...yuck.

So, other than that...(brain surgery for your 3 week old)...not too much going on here.