Today was a big day for Abby! Not only did she get a really nice sponge bath, she also was detached from all the machines that were monitoring her. She was monitored for her heart rate and also her oxygen levels, both things that have been great for the last few days - yay! She didn't love the bath at the time, but calmed down soon afterward and was cozy once more.
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| Cozy after bath time! |
Our new pediatric team seems to be good with the idea of her staying here for 2 more weeks. We hope that remains the case.
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| Okay, just look at that face. She was alert for a long time today! We love seeing her eyes. |
I've had questions about what a shunt is, how it works, and why our sweet girl needed one. Abby has hydrocephalus, a case where the cerebrospinal fluid that would normally drain in the brain is backed up. Her ventricles were enlarged and this caused her head to continue to swell. She was obviously uncomfortable for the couple of days before her shunt placement. The shunt is a permanent mechanical device that has a tube running from the top of her head to her abdomen. This tube lets the fluid drain from the brain and be absorbed in the abdomen. While it is visible under her skin, it doesn't hurt her to lay on it. There is enough tubing in her abdomen to allow for her to grow without inserting more tubing later (assuming she doesn't get very tall - we'll see about that). We know there is a possibility that we will need to come in for revision surgeries if parts malfunction in some way, but this is the best thing for her and we know it has already helped her a lot.
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| Snug as a bug in a rug. The only thing left on her body are the bandages covering her incisions. |
What a terrific Easter present to be unhooked and happy. She looks adorable all bundled. 🐣🎁😇
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Thanks :)
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