What's that? You don't think that sounds like an ordinary day? Well, you're right, but don't tell Elisabeth....she doesn't know (he he he). For her this is usual and routine.
Everything came back looking marvelous. Her shunt is functioning well and her brain is growing. The following are two different views of her brain. The light gray is brain tissue and the darker gray is fluid. It looks phenomenal considering that when she was born her entire head was filled with fluid and only the smallest amount of brain tissue could be seen.
I also wanted to share these 3D reconstructive photos of Elisabeth's skull. Isn't technology amazing? This really gives you a good view of the shunt:
Interested in how a shunt works? Here is a quick overview:
A incision is made in the scalp and a small hole is drilled in the skull. A small catheter is passed into a ventricle of the brain.
A pump (valve which controls flow of fluid) is attached to the catheter to keep the fluid away from the brain. Another catheter is attached to the pump and tunneled under the skin, behind the ear, down the neck and chest and into the peritoneal cavity (abdominal cavity).
Here is an x-ray showing the tubing that is coiled in Elisabeth's abdominal cavity. There is enough length to last her several more years.
So that was our day.
Like I said, it was ordinary.....for us at least!
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29 comments:
(First!)
Thank you for sharing this. Technology is simply amazing and as the nurse taking care of the child getting all this routine "stuff" done, I can promise we love moms like you -- who take an active interest in their child! I'm glad to hear the shunt is behaving and all is well!
=)
What a beautful scan. It's great to see all that grey matter! And I love the 3D thing as well. That just has major cool value for us geeky types.
But above all I'm glad that she got a clean scan and that the shunt is doing its job. Any day you leave a doctor's office with them saying "There isn't anything I need to do for you" is a great one.
I am so happy for your family that Elizabeth is doing well. I too was a nurse and have worked with babies with shunts. When you have a patient like that you have more than just the patient to work with. Hopefully the other patient is understanding and helpful like you. Blessing
QMM
YOU are an amazing woman.
So strong and courageous to handle ALL of this. To you...ordinary. To me...outstanding, amazing, heartwrenching, unimaginable.
Thank you for sharing ALL of this. I am ALWAYS interested in you, Elisabeth, and how modern med can help her live.
I am in awe of Elisabeth. A miracle. A blessing given to an amazing woman!
I never knew how a shunt worked. That is truly a miracle isn't it?
I too am grateful for your excellent manner in showing miraculous medicine in Elisabeth's life. The technology for shunts has continued to improve since my first patients some 30 years ago.
Neuro-geeky-me gets goosebumps over all that gray matter, too!
Barbara
This is so interesting! I'm glad everything went well. So will she have the shunt the rest of her life? Does the fluid just keep coming? Where does it come from?
What a great overview of what's going on in little Elisabeth's body! I love how you say "shhh, don't tell her" that it isn't a normal day. I hope she's feeling well!
Emily, yes, she will have the shunt the rest of her life. It is her 'life line'. Chances are that her shunt will malfunction at some point....it's a miracle that we haven't faced that issue yet. But if (when) it does malfunction she'll need surgery immediately to get a new one placed, because without it the fluid builds up and puts pressure on her brain.
The fluid is cerebrospinal fluid, which is a fluid produced by the brain to help form a protective 'cushion' around the brain. It is constantly being produced and circulates through the ventricles of the brain. Elisabeth was born with a blockage between the 3rd and 4th ventricles of the brain. This means that the fluid cannot circulate. So her body keeps producing it....but it has no where to go, so it just builds up and builds up.
That is where the shunt comes in. It regulates the fluid for her and sends all the extra fluid down to be absorbed into her abdominal cavity.
I hope this answers your question :)
Hey, we have those same ordinary days too!! We like those ordinary days when they are just routine. We had to "talk" to Cayman about keeping it only as a ordinary routine and not for emergencies. Thank God she is growing out of the constant need of shunt revisions. Six shunt surgeries in just a little over a year! Holy cow that is a lot! Thank God for ordinary routines!
Do they give her something during the CT scan?
She's a miracle!!! I'm sure no one has to tell you this.
Your sweet Grandma doesn't look a day over 80 in that photo! It looks like she shared a wonderful life.
Elisabeth is such a tropper...even if she knew it wasn't "normal" for everybody else she would do just great. :)
I'm so happy that everything is looking good! Yes, technology is a blessing. Our sweet little ones would not be here without it.
Jake LOVES to see X-rays of his shunt tube hanging out in his belly. He thinks it is so funny!
She is amazing! And, so are you!
I loved getting to hold her and see her emerging personality at the park. She is such a sweet little girl.
Glad everything came back just as it should!
an extra ordinary day!
I'm happy that she's doing so well, and thanks for sharing the pictures! :)
Glad that your 'normal' day had no suprises. It is funny what our new normal days are like. I would've never imagined 2 years ago how my life has changed; but I wouldn't go back for anything. Thanks for all the nice pictures!
WOW! Her brain looks great! Glad the day went smoothly. Hope you are enjoying a nice ordinary day at home :)
What a beautiful brain scan!!!! We have "ordinary" days like yours too:) Technology is so amazing! Thanks for sharing:)
What a BEAUTIFUL scan! :D I know it thrills you to see all of that Grey Matter. :) We have an ordinary day like that scheduled for the end of the month. So glad that there were NO surprises!
Lisa,
Your comment to Emily NEEDS to be posted!
GREAT explanation of what life is like for Elisabeth and her future.
Like I have said....many times...I learn so much from you.
An ordinary day with extraordinary results! She looks so peaceful with her little binky. Glad to hear her shunt is functioning.
WOW!! Awesome - so glad everything looked "marvelous"!!!
So happy for you-it's amazing to see. We are scheduled for our "ordinary day" in 2 weeks for the same thing. Hope we have the same results. It's been 2 years since his last CT scan. We also have a PT evaluation next week as he is falling down and running into lots of things. Not sure why because the Ophthalmologist just examined him and found nothing wrong. Hopefully he just inherited his dads gene for being a klutz :}~
YAY! I have a friend with a baby that has similar issues. When she was born she barely had any brain and now it's huge and she's speaking perfectly in English AND Spanish and they think she may even walk. I love success stories like these!
These pictures are so interesting to look at. It makes me think two things...the human body is an amazing thing and modern medicine is such a miracle.
So glad that your ordinary day was filled with good news.
Charlie thinks it looks like a routine day. I swear, he doesn't bat an eye when they put him in the CT machine--he's done it a ton. They expect a freak-out, but all I do is sing him a song and he's just fine.
WOW. Technology is incredible!
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