CT Scan & Surgery Date
I planned on putting up a quick blog post yesterday, but the 3 hours of sleep we got that night was catching up with me! :)
First-- Thank you SOO much for all the prayers!
First-- Thank you SOO much for all the prayers!
We had to be at Brenner's Children's Hospital at 7:45AM for Reid's CT scan..... Leave the house at 6:45AM with 2 infants? Sure, no prob! Ha. (My mom had lil man.) I had to set my alarm for 4:45AM to give Reid his last feeding in case they needed to sedate him. I did NOT want him sedated if at all possible.
They took us back around 8:15. Of course, Reid wouldn't lay still for the scan because he's used to practically eating every hour! After they ruled out sedation (b/c they forgot he was premature), our last ditch effort was to allow me to nurse him, swaddle him, and pray like crazy. We did and thankfully he slept through the whole scan! WHEW!
Purpose of the CT scan:
-To confirm that the plates in his skull were fused and to make sure his brain looked ok. Both were found to be true.
Next step:
-Surgery on Sept 4th. They pushed it back a month to make sure the bones in his skull could handle the tension of the springs.
Other details I learned:
-We will be able to start seeing a difference in his head shape about 6 weeks after the springs are placed in between the fused plates.
-His head will continue to widen the next 4 months while the springs push the plates apart.
-While the springs are in, Reid will wear a protective helmet at least 22hrs out of the day to protect the big soft spot "valley" created by the springs.
-By the end of the 4 months(ish), his skull will have formed new bone in the "valley". He should be left with just the normal 2 soft spots. (That's fast! CRAZY!)
-Then the springs will be taken out in outpatient surgery.
-The doctor says by age 2.5 to 3 you shouldn't even be able to tell he had this issue. :)
My question: Why did this happen in the 1st place?
- Dr. David said (in my paraphrased words) this was not a genetic issue or caused by anything I had done. It was simply a communication error in the cell level. The cells in the plates told them it was time to fuse together way before it was actually time. It was kind of a coincidence occurrence, although it's a common issue that she deals with.
Soooo... it looks like we will just go about our normal lives until his surgery on Sept 4th. Thanks again for all the prayers!!
Here is a picture of my sweet babies at 1 month. They aren't too happy, but you can see the difference here in their head shape. I'm anxious to see how different his head will look at Christmas!
Screenshot of the BEST YouTube video ever! My BFF from college's mom told me about it. It puts my screaming kids to sleep in seconds!!
They took us back around 8:15. Of course, Reid wouldn't lay still for the scan because he's used to practically eating every hour! After they ruled out sedation (b/c they forgot he was premature), our last ditch effort was to allow me to nurse him, swaddle him, and pray like crazy. We did and thankfully he slept through the whole scan! WHEW!
Purpose of the CT scan:
-To confirm that the plates in his skull were fused and to make sure his brain looked ok. Both were found to be true.
Next step:
-Surgery on Sept 4th. They pushed it back a month to make sure the bones in his skull could handle the tension of the springs.
Other details I learned:
-We will be able to start seeing a difference in his head shape about 6 weeks after the springs are placed in between the fused plates.
-His head will continue to widen the next 4 months while the springs push the plates apart.
-While the springs are in, Reid will wear a protective helmet at least 22hrs out of the day to protect the big soft spot "valley" created by the springs.
-By the end of the 4 months(ish), his skull will have formed new bone in the "valley". He should be left with just the normal 2 soft spots. (That's fast! CRAZY!)
-Then the springs will be taken out in outpatient surgery.
-The doctor says by age 2.5 to 3 you shouldn't even be able to tell he had this issue. :)
My question: Why did this happen in the 1st place?
- Dr. David said (in my paraphrased words) this was not a genetic issue or caused by anything I had done. It was simply a communication error in the cell level. The cells in the plates told them it was time to fuse together way before it was actually time. It was kind of a coincidence occurrence, although it's a common issue that she deals with.
Soooo... it looks like we will just go about our normal lives until his surgery on Sept 4th. Thanks again for all the prayers!!
Pics
Here is a picture of my sweet babies at 1 month. They aren't too happy, but you can see the difference here in their head shape. I'm anxious to see how different his head will look at Christmas!
Stella at 1 month: Sweet baby girl with a feisty side ;)
Reid at 1 month: This pic made me laugh! "What-choo-lookin'-at?!"
Screenshot of the BEST YouTube video ever! My BFF from college's mom told me about it. It puts my screaming kids to sleep in seconds!!
My wonderful husband arranged for me to have a girls night with the bestie last week!
I can't imagine how scary this surgery will be for you, but it sounds like little Reid is in good hands and he has tons of prayers on his behalf. Your babies are adorable and you're doing a great job!
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