Friday

I am back out of the hospital.  Although we are quite disappointed that the surgery didn't happen this morning, it is very nice to be out of the hospital.  I really don't like days spent there but I am thankful for the progress that is being made.

The procedure on Monday is to ligate the shunt, or in other words tie off the tube so that it can't drain.  We are trying to determine if I no longer need the shunt or if I do.  On Tuesday afternoon, a spinal tap will be done to see if my pressure shoots up.  If it does, we then know that I will need to have a second surgery to add the anti-siphoning device.  (The neurosurgeon here puts this device in with every shunt he places so this is not unusual)  We hope that I would have that surgery done yet while we are here, and it would be considered an emergency surgery so they would fit us in fairly quickly.  We had the option of doing the anti-siphoning device first and living with it that way for a period of time but ultimately we decided that it would be best to try to get to the bottom of this now.  If the shunt can be removed, we will know it and will have to schedule a surgery in the future to actually remove the whole thing but there will be no urgency.  If we did the anti-siphoning device first it would be more difficult to know if that is the final answer.  It would be such a blessing to be done with the shunts and close this long chapter in my life, but we will know that better next week.

The bad news for me is that I have to have another spinal tap on Tuesday and I really dread those.  I haven't decided yet if I dislike the ng tube or the spinal tap more but they are both on the bottom of my list of things I would choose to do!

We are praying that we will be home for Christmas, but it is clear that there are no guarantees.  I am lonely for my family and it is really hard to be this far away at this time of the year.  However, it is such a blessing having my mom here and to have a few friends in the area that have been so generous to us.  The Lord has been good to us.  This has been a difficult trial again but we will continue to trust in Him and take things one day at a time.