Wednesday, December 16, 2009
updates
I just found out that they are closing the area at the hospital where we can get internet/computer access for the evening. There is a lot of construction going on and that seems to be the problem. If I don't get back to you tonight, I will update in the morning. If there are any specific needs that we would want you to know about, I will have someone update for me. Thanks so much...
Surgery has begun..
Aaron was just taken back to the operating room. They will replace the broken piece of the shunt and the tubing that goes to the abdomen. The tubing that broke off is coiled up in his body cavity and they will just leave it there. They don't attempt to remove it because of the increased chance of scar tissue building up in the abdomen.
Waiting to go down to surgery...
We are waiting for Aaron's neurosurgeon to finish up on another surgery so that he can begin on Aaron's surgery. Aaron has not been himself for the last week...generally lethargic and appeared to have a sinus infection. He went to the doctor on Monday after things looked worse and she put him on an antibiotic. Things got progressively worse for Aaron until last night, when he was in extreme pain. It was obvious that his he had a massive headache that could not be controlled through home pain medications. Mark brought him in to Gillette last evening and this morning they performed a CT scan and a shunt series x-ray.
The CT showed that one of the two shunts that Aaron has in his brain had broken. It could no longer drain the excess brain fluid that it is designed to do. This is the second time this has happened. The Doctor explained that it has to do with the fact that Aaron requires multiple shunts in different ventricles of his brain. They are connected together in his skull and then one tube goes down his body cavity to his abdomen and drains the fluid there. At the point when the two tubes combine into one is where the breakage is.
He is still in quite a bit of pain despite morphine and a few other pain meds. We are just waiting for Dr. Partington to complete a surgery and then he will be going down to the operating room. Aaron is sleeping now and seems to be comfortable at this moment. He is forgetting to breath which is an issue that he has had for several years. The pain and/or pain medication makes him hold his breath and then he sets all of the alarms off. He seems to be keeping is oxygen levels up through all the episodes and so we aren't in danger at this point.
It is so difficult to assess where the pain is originating from when Aaron has very limited communication abilities. It was very clear this time, that his head was the source of the pain though. He has been very combative towards anyone touching him--and that is not at all like Aaron. He is normally such a gentle and happy young man.
We will keep you updated when he goes into surgery. Thanks for your prayers.
The CT showed that one of the two shunts that Aaron has in his brain had broken. It could no longer drain the excess brain fluid that it is designed to do. This is the second time this has happened. The Doctor explained that it has to do with the fact that Aaron requires multiple shunts in different ventricles of his brain. They are connected together in his skull and then one tube goes down his body cavity to his abdomen and drains the fluid there. At the point when the two tubes combine into one is where the breakage is.
He is still in quite a bit of pain despite morphine and a few other pain meds. We are just waiting for Dr. Partington to complete a surgery and then he will be going down to the operating room. Aaron is sleeping now and seems to be comfortable at this moment. He is forgetting to breath which is an issue that he has had for several years. The pain and/or pain medication makes him hold his breath and then he sets all of the alarms off. He seems to be keeping is oxygen levels up through all the episodes and so we aren't in danger at this point.
It is so difficult to assess where the pain is originating from when Aaron has very limited communication abilities. It was very clear this time, that his head was the source of the pain though. He has been very combative towards anyone touching him--and that is not at all like Aaron. He is normally such a gentle and happy young man.
We will keep you updated when he goes into surgery. Thanks for your prayers.
