Bumps, bumps and more bumps...

I’ll start with the bad news. After a routine CT scan on Thursday morning showed slight increased swelling, James was sent back to VGH by that afternoon. He was scheduled to have surgery yesterday to remove the skull flap and to see what was causing the swelling. James was not happy with this news and was more anxious than I’ve ever seen him.  The empathetic Neurosurgeon saw his distress and decided to take another look at the CT Scan.  The problem was that there was no clear reason to “go in” again but they were not happy with what they saw on the scan. After a bit of deliberation it was decided to do a smaller procedure instead of a huge surgery. This smaller procedure consisted of drilling a small hole in the space that was putting pressure on his brain. They released pressure and again will send the fluid to the lab to see if it’s infected. James had another CT scan this morning, which showed a lot of improvement. The brain had re-expanded almost to its full size because they were able to aspirate all the fluid that was causing pressure. However, they are fairly certain now that the fluid is caused by infection. The plan is to do another CT scan on Monday. If this scan looks as good as today’s than he should be able to go back to GF Strong and will have another CT scan done in a week for follow up. However, if the scan shows more fluid, we will have to have a discussion about the possibility of more surgery. Their recommendations at this point would be to remove the bone flap and leave it out for at least 3 months, and do another 6 weeks or so of IV antibiotics. This is the worst-case scenario.

James is struggling to stay positive. This was his fourth neurosurgery, fifth surgery altogether. We all feel burnt out, tired and defeated. However negativity is not what we need so on with the positive…

This past week James actually seemed better to me although the Physio and Occupational Therapist both noticed slight decrease in function. Today he was doing incredibly well! Last night and today we were able to talk like we used to. He seemed almost back to normal. The thought of loosing the progress that he’s had today again tares me up but at least I know he’s still there and it will come back.

James was also seen by his orthopedic doctor who was very happy with how James’ pelvis is healing and gave the okay for full weight bearing. This means the physio has a lot more to work with and James will hopefully be walking in no time.

So… although we try to stay positive, James has had enough bumps in the road. I’ve never been so proud of him and never loved him more. In the next couple days we need lots of positive energy going to James’ brain! Think positive and please no more bumps!