When the shunt stops working, the fluid builds up causing painful pressure, which was the cause of her headaches and vomitting. Basically, the only fix for shunt failure is surgery. The doctor said that he needed to do it immediately. At the time, he didn't know exactly what he would have to do. It could be as simple as wiggling the shunt back into place or as invasive as replacing the whole tubing and valve system from her brain all the way to the abdominal cavity. He ended up being able to get the existing shunt working again by cleaning out the tubing. It had gotten blocked up over time.
Harold called me around 7:30 and said they were going to do surgery soon. I called Mom and in her typical superhero-sweep-in-and-save-the-day style, she was at the house within just a few minutes to stay with the kids and I was packed and on the road in record time. I got to Lexington just in time to get to see her after her surgery was complete. We were in recovery with her until around 4 am, then they got us up to a room on the peds floor, where we all crashed.
This morning, she was quite subdued and puny, but when we found out we were allowed to take her to the play room, she perked up a bit. After the play room, she seemed to have broken over the hump and realized that even though she didn't feel top notch, she was going to make it, so her personality started to return. It was a good reminder of how much I treasure her sunny little disposition.
They had to shave about 1/4 of her hair they said (we haven't seen it yet, it's under wraps, like a present--come to think of it, it is truly a gift that they have the ability to take away her hurt). Anyway, I'm a little bummed, because her hair was getting nice and long--long enough that I could finally french braid it. I realize that in the overall scheme of things, that's really a minor thing, but still... So, anyway, you can look forward to pictures in the near future of MaKenzie with her new little pixie hair cut. I think a pixie haircut will suit her little pixie personality just perfectly, don't you?
So back to the present--our little white-gauze-wrapped gift--she's drinking great and eating fair. Now it's just a matter of her little body doing it's thing and getting better. Once again, we are reminded of our blessings. Good healthcare for our kids, awesome parents who are there for us in a pinch, and God's healing goodness. Thank you for all of your prayers! And thank you Mom & Dad for being willing to drop everything to stand in the gap. We love you!!!
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