Friday, March 25, 2016

Post Surgery Update

This is actually from her napping (finally) the other day.

Thank you all for praying! Claire's surgery went well, but was long, over 7 hours.
They opened her skull up from the back and top by 2 cm. (almost 3/4 of an inch). The skin has been stretched tightly to cover it and this will be a long painful recovery. The pressure is normal now! She had a rough night last night with her blood pressure dropping. She's being given fluids to help, but that's hard on her little swollen body, and her heart. Again, thank-you all for your prayers!

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Claire Update

She underwent emergency surgery this afternoon to put a shunt in to alleviate pressure that was pushing her brain down into her spinal column. That went well, but she will still need surgery shortly for a cranial vault which is very much what it sounds like. She's still not out of the woods, so keep those prayers up! Thank you all!!!

UPDATE as of 3/21
She's on morphine and zofran because of head pain and throwing up. Surgery will happen this week if neurosurgery can coordinate with plastics. It will be fairly complicated, not as straightforward as last time (last cranial vault). It will require 2 surgeries and please pray this will do the trick and a permanent shunt won't be needed.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

A Prayer Request


I have a post in the works, but in the meantime, I have an urgent prayer request. My sweet little 4 year old niece Claire was born with Apert Syndrome. It's pretty rare, and among some other physical problems (such as her fingers being fused together, as well as her toes at birth), her skull plates fused together before she was born. She has been through multiple surgeries for untangling her little hands and feet, ear tubes, and skull surgeries. She learned to crawl in casts. She is a trooper and hilarious and EVERYONE loves her to pieces. Recently, she's been having bad headaches, and originally thought to be adenoids, just today they've learned that it's much more severe, this is pressure building up and they missed it because she doesn't have any of the other symptoms. She needs surgery ASAP, no more than 3-4 weeks, they just need to assemble the team to do it. This surgery is very difficult, dangerous and the older the patient the tougher it goes. Claire's baby sister was inexplicably stillborn at 32 weeks last August. The threat of death in this surgery is made even more real after experiencing that tragedy. Would all you kind readers lift Claire and her family (My bother D., his wife J. and nephew D.jr. (5) ) up in prayer? They have been tested over and over and come forth as gold, but that doesn't make it any easier. Specifically for peace, healing, peace, finances, and peace. Yes I said peace 3 times. J.'s family, though loving and close, does not know Jesus and can make things a little more stressful even though they mean well.
Thank-you so much Sweet Readers, I'll keep you updated.

UPDATE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS READ THIS:

The pressure is in her optic nerve and they will have to perform a cranial vault. This was done once before and they were;t expecting to need to do another.