Maddy is out of surgery, and we are waiting for her to get settled in her room. The only drama was that she did have to have a blood transfusion, but we were aware from the get-go that this was a possibility. We had to have her blood typed and crossed this morning so they could have blood on hand.
A lot of people are asking what this surgery was all about, so here goes. On Monday we found out that Maddy's sleep study (on 2/20) came back pretty bad. She'd gone from an apnea index of one per hour in August to 15/hour. We went for an MRI on Tuesday, and it showed that the Chiari malformation II was making things be pretty tight in there. Spina bifida pulls the brain stem down into the spinal column, and this can put a lot of pressure on the brain stem. I think all kids with SB have Chiari malformation, but many are asymptomatic (no symptoms) into adulthood, or never have issues. In this surgery, Dr. Young removed the top vertebrae (we think he put it back, but we're debating what he meant by some other comments), and shortened the cerebellum tonsils (not necessary for life or development) to relieve some of the pressure.
She is still intubated (on a vent) until tomorrow, when they will do another MRI.
Please pray for a speedy and comfortable recovery for Madeline, and that we can steer clear of any drama this time! :)
Thanks for all your prayer and support! Aunt Pam has been here all day (and toting an awesome bag full of fun stuff). Pastor Kraig (Children's pastor at our church) came and prayed and hung out with us for a while; and Susan Hawkins and Annie Claire stopped by in between appointments (Annie also has SB and had open-heart surgery last month), also bearing a lovely little gift bag!
Pictures coming soon!
Hugs,
Pam
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