Eventful day yesterday

We are thankful for answered prayer regarding Tara's ears. They have completely cleared, which was surprising to the doctor. So she is in the clear for another 6 months. :)

I left a message for Dr Heffez and he called me back about an hour later. He reviewed everything and said that he feels that the shunt is going to be the answer. He didn't really even question the pressure number of the last tap. I have read that the numbers can vary wildly depending on the time of day and a variety of factors, but it didn't alarm him. I have a surgery scheduled to place the shunt for the morning of December 15. It is a VP shunt with a programmable valve. Once it is placed, the valve can be programmed with a computer or something held next to my head to adjust the pressure levels as needed. He anticipates that I will be in the hospital for 3 days and asked that we plan to be in Milwaukee for a total of a week so that I can see if the pressure level that he sets it at is comfortable.

This is really an answer to prayer. Our biggest concern now is that this be the end of this journey for us. I can deal with the inconveniences and issues that a shunt will bring but we are really praying that this will resolve the headaches and that life can start becoming more normal again. We have thought that we had the answer a few times already so this time we are a little hesitant to become to excited until we actually see the results.
The headache was totally gone on Wednesday and started coming back a little Thursday. I am feeling it more today and I would guess that it will just keep getting stronger. I am noticing that Wednesday I could do more but Thursday and even today physical exertion of any type again seems to make the symptoms worse pretty quickly. It is hard to figure out ways to get stronger when I can do so little. Kyle buzzed me around Walmart in a wheelchair this morning, though, and I enjoyed that!

I am still having the tests done that I mentioned yesterday just in case something shows up but since every other test has come back normal we anticipate that will be the same with these. Please continue to pray for strength for me because I am so weak. Also please pray for Kyle and the kids as we once again go through some challenging times. Thank you so much!