Scan Results

Tuesday was a very l-o-n-g day of driving and waiting but thankfully it went well. I had nursed Zach at 4:45am and he slept the whole trip to Sacramento. We checked in at 9:30am and got settled in. Zach had a special metal crib and a pink hospital gown. Daddy was not too thrilled with the pink but Zach didn't seem to mind at all. By the time it was 11:00am Zach was really tired and obviously hungry. But we were both impressed by how relaxed he seemed. He actually started to fall asleep as Don was holding him. The anesthesiologist suggested trying to get the scan without sedation and I was so relieved! Don said he didn't think it would work - but it did!! Zachy was so tired and so mellow he just laid still on the table while we held his hands and Don whistled for him. It only took about 10 minutes to complete, the radiologist came and confirmed that it was a clear shot and we left.
Our appointment with the neuormedicine specialists wasn't until 4:30pm but we checked in at two and they fit us in. Results were positive -- Zachy has all four lobes of the brain and all other skull sutures are normal. We were able to ask a lot of the questions that we had and Rosemary, our P.A. was very open and detailed about the surgery and what to expect.
They will have to make an incision across the top of his skull from ear to ear. They will actually dismantle and reassemble the front skull plates, piecing them together like a puzzle. Then the cranio facial plastic surgeon will have to create a brow bone for Zach. He has very little orbital brow bone protection at this point. The whole surgery will take about four to five hours and it's very bloody. We were told that almost all patients require a transfusion. He will spend the first night/day in the Ped ICU. She also told us that his eyes will be swollen shut for the first two days. She said to be prepared that Zach will be mad about that - not being able to see and not understanding why. But Rosemary did reassure us that healing and bone growth happens really fast over the following months after surgery.
There were a thousand other details but those are the main highlights. We are planning for surgery sometime in the next five weeks. The sooner the better because the older he gets, the harder it will be on him.
Don and I are still feeling incredibly overwhelmed by all this but at the same time it is awesome to feel such support and love from all our family and friends!! Thanks for the notes, comments, emails and phone calls everyone! It is so reassuring to know that our son is covered with prayers !