After our MRI on Friday, we found that this rotten tumor was still growing. The doctors expressed concern that during radiation the tumor could swell and cause Meggie even more undesirable deficits. At 3:30pm on Friday, the neurosurgeon, Dr Butler, suggested an emergency aspiration of the tumor. His secretary confirmed that there was a pediatric OR open at 10AM on Monday morning--even though the pediatric ORs are usually booked 10 days in advance. What a blessing!
Meghan entertains herself by looking at the photos on "her" blog while in the OR prep room. Even at this point, Meghan is unbelievably peaceful. She trusts completely!
Minutes away from the surgery, the anestheisologist is waiting to put Meghan under. The surgeon is going to use a metallic cauterization device to burn a hole in the tumor, so that it cannot quickly heal itself. Then, as it tries to rebuild itself by depositing fluid inside itself, the fluid will just leak into the brain where it will be absorbed. This should buy us 6 months of time to get this tumor under control. Hopefully, Meghan will regain some of the lost functions. The surgeon did tell us that this procedure will cause bleeding in the brain and she will need an external drain until the bleeding stops.
About an hour after surgery, Meghan is starving. They give us permission to give her some sugared juice but, typically, Helena is feeding her a high protein nutrition drink from Whole Foods. Some things never change! Notice that there is no drain from her brain. The surgeon was very surprised to find that there was no bleeding from the site, so he decided that a drain was unnecessary. Another great blessing. Thank you.
About 4 hours after surgery, Meghan want to try and walk. She is doing incredibly well and manages one turn around the PICU floor. At this point, we believe that part of the tumor has collapsed in on itself but it will be a while before we know what functions she will regain. Those brain cells have been under severe pressure from the tumor, and will take a while to recover. Still, we are praying for those beautiful blue eyes!
After our MRI on Friday, we found that this rotten tumor was still growing. The doctors expressed concern that during radiation the tumor could swell and cause Meggie even more undesirable deficits. At 3:30pm on Friday, the neurosurgeon, Dr Butler, suggested an emergency aspiration of the tumor. His secretary confirmed that there was a pediatric OR open at 10AM on Monday morning--even though the pediatric ORs are usually booked 10 days in advance. What a blessing!
Meghan entertains herself by looking at the photos on "her" blog while in the OR prep room. Even at this point, Meghan is unbelievably peaceful. She trusts completely!
Minutes away from the surgery, the anestheisologist is waiting to put Meghan under. The surgeon is going to use a metallic cauterization device to burn a hole in the tumor, so that it cannot quickly heal itself. Then, as it tries to rebuild itself by depositing fluid inside itself, the fluid will just leak into the brain where it will be absorbed. This should buy us 6 months of time to get this tumor under control. Hopefully, Meghan will regain some of the lost functions. The surgeon did tell us that this procedure will cause bleeding in the brain and she will need an external drain until the bleeding stops.
About an hour after surgery, Meghan is starving. They give us permission to give her some sugared juice but, typically, Helena is feeding her a high protein nutrition drink from Whole Foods. Some things never change! Notice that there is no drain from her brain. The surgeon was very surprised to find that there was no bleeding from the site, so he decided that a drain was unnecessary. Another great blessing. Thank you.
About 4 hours after surgery, Meghan want to try and walk. She is doing incredibly well and manages one turn around the PICU floor. At this point, we believe that part of the tumor has collapsed in on itself but it will be a while before we know what functions she will regain. Those brain cells have been under severe pressure from the tumor, and will take a while to recover. Still, we are praying for those beautiful blue eyes!
Dear Megan and Helena,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. I was brought to tears that the brain did not bleed after the surgery. What a blessing and what faith. Our prayers are with you and I can't wait to show the girl this blog. Love Aunt Jo
Waiting for the day you return and bring Meg to my club for classes...we believe in you both so much..xoxoxo
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