Friday 21 August 2009

Today went as well as it could have. We arrived at the hospital at 10am. We were admitted; weight (6.7kg), length(68cm), BP, pulse and bracelets fitted. Katriona was was called in at 11.15am. She was getting cranky as she was both tired and hungry so it was a relief to finally know that it was time. The anaesthetist suggested I hold her as she had the gas so I did. At 11.36am she went under giving me this freaked out look as the gas worked on her; poor baby.

The nurse told me that the procedure would take about 30 minutes and to go and get a coffee. I went and got a drink and starting chatting to a lady in the queue, broke down into tears and discovered she wasn't just someone's nana, she was a hospital volunteer and she gave me a teddy for Katriona and gave me a hug.

I went back and waited and waited and waited. After 90 minutes I was freaking out that something horrid had happened and went looking for someone to get an update. I passed the MRI review room and had a look as I passed by and immediately knew I was looking at Katriona's scans; huge and I mean HUGE black spaces which were the fluid and the brain all squashed up at the edges. It so didn't look good. It also was not good when I saw her neurosurgeon come to see the scans and the doctor say to him "there is something not right here".

Just as the surgeon came to see me to tell me about the scans the recovery nurses called me to come and get Katriona who was awake and crying.

We will see the surgeon on Tuesday for a proper appointment, but he assured me that there are no tumours, but it seems that there is also no blockage. He thinks that her brain is just not reabsorbing the fluid and therefore it is building up. Therefore he can't fix the problem, the only solution is a shunt. She will most likely have surgery on Monday of the week after next; 31 August.

I am sad for Katriona that she has to have this surgery and that getting shunt is going to mean a lifetime of making sure it is working so she doesn't die. I don't know what impact the shunt will have on things she can and can't do and I worry that her life might be impeded because of it. But on the other hand, how lucky are we to be able fix this. I guess you just have to look for the positives and I think being alive is pretty positive.