June 27, 2010 to June 29, 2010 – Thankful to be Home

There is so much to be thankful for in our home as we brought Katelynn home on Sunday.  Dr. Zusman did come around late Sunday morning and was not all too concerned with the slight droopiness on the right side of Katelynn’s face.  Given the endoscopic work that was done on her left lateral ventricle, it did not surprise me too much to see this effect, but the main concern was whether this would temporary.  Time will tell, but we will keep watch and keep asking.  Since Sunday, I have seen some improvements, ever so slight.  What is simply amazing is how strong my precious Katelynn has been since Friday’s surgery.  The only time she cried in pain was when her IV line was removed from her left hand just before she was discharged from the hospital.  To be on the safe side with any post-surgical pain, Dr. Zusman sent us home with a prescription for Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601006.html) in liquid form.  We used the medication on both Sunday and Monday night, to make sure Katelynn slept as comfortably as possible.  She did not make a peep through the night, and that is perfect.

As much as I am hoping this will be Katelynn’s last neurosurgery for a very long time, there are still many unknowns that dot her course of treatment.  Dr. Ciricillo had explained that Friday’s fenestration procedure for her entrapped left lateral and fourth ventricles would, in all likelihood, be followed eventually by another operation further down the line.  In six months we will have Katelynn go through yet another MRI to see how much the two affected ventricles have receded.  The recent operation was intended to allow the entrapped ventricles to “communicate” with Katelynn’s right lateral ventricle, which has the functioning shunt system.  At some point, this system will malfunction, and that is when there will be another procedure performed.  I will have to confirm this with Dr. Ciricillo when we speak next, but I thought he had mentioned the endoscopic cerebral aqueductoplasty with a fourth ventricular approach as an option.  Over the phone last week, I believe he had also talked about a endoscopic ventriculostomy (http://www.hydroassoc.org/docs/FactSheet_Third_Ventricular_Endoscopy.pdf), or ETV, as the next step.  No matter which procedure, the next time Katelynn would require neurosurgery should be preceded by a shunt failure and the ensuing operation may actually make her shunt independent.  This would be an answered prayer, since Jenn-Jen and I never felt comfortable knowing that Katelynn’s shunt will malfunction sooner or later.

Until then, we are just excited to have Katelynn back home.  The timing of the discharge on Sunday worked out perfectly to allow Katelynn to take her afternoon nap, while I hit the shower and cleaned up with a nice shave.   After three days of doing neither, I felt amazingly clean after stepping out of my bathroom.  I suppose I did not really feel the full effect of the summer heat that has finally come to Sacramento, since I made the Pediatrics floor of Sutter Memorial Hospital my temporary home.   After the discharge, we have spent most of our days enjoying the air-conditioned comforts of home, but it is probably safe for me to speak for both Katelynn and myself to say that our beds have not felt this good in a very long time.

I am taking the rest of the week off from work to make sure all continues to go smoothly with Katelynn’s recovery.  Things have been slow and, truth be told, very normal since we have been back.  Jenn-Jen and I do take extra measures to keep Katelynn from bumping her head with Daria or anything else for that matter, but everything has turned out as well as it could.  It just feels rejuvenating to have my whole family safe at home together.  I could not ask for more.

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