We met with the neurosurgeon today to review the results of yesterday's cat scan. There is some sad news. The back part of Jerard's brain has moved all the way to the front of the brain.
If you recall, Jerard's brain only exists as a relatively thin layer of brain matter around the inside of the skull with a large amount of fluid in the center of the skull. A number of weeks ago the situation was complicated by pockets of fluid between the skull and the brain at the back of his head and a cyst in the center of the brain cavity.
Now the cat scan shows that the fluid has increased at the back of the skull forcing the brain that was at the back of the head all the way across the brain cavity to settle against the brain matter at the front of the head. What this means is that we are going to have surgery on Monday to do a couple things.
- Temporarily stop the shunt from flowing.
- Install two more shunts at the back of the head that will drain into an external bag.
After a few days, hopefully the brain matter that has shifted will go back to it's proper position. If that occurs then the two additional shunts can be removed (along with the external drainage bag) and the shunt released to flow again all without an operation (which is good news).
Why are we doing this? Because we want to give the brain the best chance to keep on growing and it is very important that the brain be in the proper position for that to happen. If Jerard's brain can keep on growing there is still a very real possibility that Jerard will grow up with a normal IQ.
Well, hopefully you have enough to pray for. As always, thank you for your prayers. Pray also for Beth and I and the rest of the family because hospital stays are very stressful for the whole family. Please pray for our finances too since hospitals here in the Philippines require cash up front for everything.