Ava's MRI scan
So, Ava had her MRI yesterday. She actually did pretty well....better than I did. We went back there and laid her on the table. The anesthesiologist was the one who did her shunt surgery, and he was thrilled to be doing her minor procedure then. (off the topic, I just have to say that the anesthesia team, both pediatric and adult- for my c-section, were absolutely phenomenal!) He placed the little mask over her mouth while she was smiling at the nurse and munching on her pacifier, and she was fast asleep within a matter of about 45 seconds. I got freaked out, though, because her eyes were still open. She looked drunk. Very weird. Did not like that at all, but I knew she was in great hands. Needless to say, cry baby me walked out into the waiting room a mess. It never fails.
She woke up quite groggy. Miss "I eat everything you give me" was refusing to eat and could not be consoled. I began to get upset while trying to calm her because she had never truly cried like that before. I quickly pulled it together remembering that she can feed off of my tension and anxiety, and within minutes she quieted down. After about 20 minutes or so, she was back to her happy, reserved self!
So, the MRI results. They were great. They weren't perfect, but I will take a report like that any day in comparison to what we could have seen. Her ventricles are almost back to normal (they were more than half the size of her head filled with fluid when she was born). I have to go back to get a copy of the MRI results, and I will try to get before and after pics up soon. Everything was there which is great news. There is a small "blob" (have no idea what the long term was that the doctor used) in the center of her brain that shows scar tissue. This is permanent and is mainly on the right side of her brain. This part of the brain typically is responsible for your gross motor skills (crawling, rolling, walking, etc), and the right part of the brain controls the left side of your body. So, with this said this will explain why she favors her right side more and why she is a bit delayed in her gross motor skills (she just started really rolling at 6 months rather than 4). The bad news on this is that the scar tissue is permanent and cannot be repaired. The good news is that her brain is still developing and has plenty of time and ability to learn all the necessary skills that she will need in life. And the fact that she uses her left side and just chooses not to most of the time is a great sign. This means even more that she has the ability to do it all.
Finally, the neurosurgeon turned her shunt up. This is good. The higher the shunt setting, the more the brain is doing of taking care of the CSF fluid and relying less on the valve. So, her brain is starting to filter the fluid where it needs to go. His goal is to see if we can continue to turn it up over time to see if she can become even more less dependent on it. THIS IS FANTASTIC NEWS! In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than this. Thank you, Lord, for answering my millions of prayers that I have said over this child!
So, everything is back to normal here. We will continue to do therapies with Ava so that she can beat that scar tissue in the rear:) As for Tyler, well, I am taking him to the park today. He gets to run through water spouts and such, so he is just about as giddy as they get. I love that kid! I will try to take some pictures of our outing. But first, I have to go clean up his attempt at eating cereal. He got the cereal in his mouth, but wasn't so successful on the milk.
Thank you again for all of your love, support and prayers!
She woke up quite groggy. Miss "I eat everything you give me" was refusing to eat and could not be consoled. I began to get upset while trying to calm her because she had never truly cried like that before. I quickly pulled it together remembering that she can feed off of my tension and anxiety, and within minutes she quieted down. After about 20 minutes or so, she was back to her happy, reserved self!
So, the MRI results. They were great. They weren't perfect, but I will take a report like that any day in comparison to what we could have seen. Her ventricles are almost back to normal (they were more than half the size of her head filled with fluid when she was born). I have to go back to get a copy of the MRI results, and I will try to get before and after pics up soon. Everything was there which is great news. There is a small "blob" (have no idea what the long term was that the doctor used) in the center of her brain that shows scar tissue. This is permanent and is mainly on the right side of her brain. This part of the brain typically is responsible for your gross motor skills (crawling, rolling, walking, etc), and the right part of the brain controls the left side of your body. So, with this said this will explain why she favors her right side more and why she is a bit delayed in her gross motor skills (she just started really rolling at 6 months rather than 4). The bad news on this is that the scar tissue is permanent and cannot be repaired. The good news is that her brain is still developing and has plenty of time and ability to learn all the necessary skills that she will need in life. And the fact that she uses her left side and just chooses not to most of the time is a great sign. This means even more that she has the ability to do it all.
Finally, the neurosurgeon turned her shunt up. This is good. The higher the shunt setting, the more the brain is doing of taking care of the CSF fluid and relying less on the valve. So, her brain is starting to filter the fluid where it needs to go. His goal is to see if we can continue to turn it up over time to see if she can become even more less dependent on it. THIS IS FANTASTIC NEWS! In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than this. Thank you, Lord, for answering my millions of prayers that I have said over this child!
So, everything is back to normal here. We will continue to do therapies with Ava so that she can beat that scar tissue in the rear:) As for Tyler, well, I am taking him to the park today. He gets to run through water spouts and such, so he is just about as giddy as they get. I love that kid! I will try to take some pictures of our outing. But first, I have to go clean up his attempt at eating cereal. He got the cereal in his mouth, but wasn't so successful on the milk.
Thank you again for all of your love, support and prayers!
