Surgery Scheduled.

What a day....

AC aced the MRI. She was able to do it without being sedated. The scan only took 20 minutes since she didn't need any drugs. She watched 'A Cinderella Story' and didn't move a muscle. So proud of her!

After the MRI we went to the gift shop and bought her a prize...a cute puppy dog purse. It is sooooo Anna Cate...

We met with Dr. Boydston for about 20 minutes today. He was amazing as always. We all huddled around the computer screen while he explained her MRI. He pointed out the part of her brain that has herniated and said it was substantial. Rusty says it looks like a funnel cloud is coming down out of her brain. Dr. Boydston said that the spinal fluid is having a hard time flowing and that the swelling and pain in her neck and back is caused by that. Most kids don't have the extent of herniation that AC has.

The solution is decompression surgery. It sounds scary, and it is...but doing it while she is young is the best thing. They will make a 4-5 inch incision in the back of her head and move the muscles aside. Then part of the back of her skull will be removed to make room for her big brain and that will help the flow of the spinal fluid.

None of her hair will have to be shaved. Many of you know that is the thing I've been obsessing over (a stupid trivial thing, but it was all I could focus on...) This surgery should end all headaches and pain associated with the Chiari. She will feel some stiffness in the neck for a couple of days/week but shouldn't have any other pain. She should fully recover and feel 100% better.

The surgery is on October 5th, is being done at Egleston and should last 2 1/2 hours. She should be in the hospital for 1-2 days after the operation. It all seems so quick compared to the horror stories I've read online...but those were adult surgeries and it is way worse for older patients.

We ended the day with lunch/supper at Steak N Shake with Staci and Kevin. It was awesome as usual and now...I'm sleepy.

I think that I will finally be able to sleep now. Ever since I got the call from her pediatrician a month ago I haven't been sleeping but 3-4 hours a night. I didn't realize how worn out I looked until I saw some pictures from tailgate on Saturday. Yikes.

All in all it was an amazing day. Nothing puts your child's illness in perspective than seeing all the other precious kids at the hospital that are way sicker than AC. I am very thankful that while this is our reality for now, it will soon be a thing of the past and life will be normal for her. So many children aren't that fortunate.

Thank you so much for the prayers today. I know things would not have been as smooth for us today without them. We know we are loved and we love you too!