Tickets Please

Normally when I talk about tickets I’m referring to waiting to ride a train with brady.  This time however we’re back in line for our favorite roller coaster! 

Karsyn had surgery this morning to put the reservoir back in her head.  Here’s how the past few days have gone for us….and bear with me because I’m about to vent JUST a little!!  A little pre-story tid bit….TCH is a teaching hospital which means there are residents and fellows that follow and work with the attendings.  Our neurosurgeon attending is Dr. Douser ( who is AMAZING) and he has 2 fellows and an attending…quite the entourage! 

On Sunday, Karsyns head size began to increase a little more rapidly that they would like for it to.  The neuro fellow came by and said her head felt  very full and we would be doing surgery to place a VP shunt.  (A shunt is different from a reservoir in that it’s more permanent and drains the spinal fluid into the body as opposed to the reservoir where the spinal fluid is removed from the body)   We asked our questions and began to mentally prepare.  About an hour later Dr. Douser came by and said “oh her head feels great”  ummm okay, but your fellow said you were putting in a shunt.  “No, I’ve never planned to put a shunt in her”  ok….so no surgery right now. 

Monday, the neurosurgeon fellow comes by and tells us her head is full and they need to do surgery to place a shunt.  I politely tell him Dr. Douser said it would be a reservoir and he said he’s almost positive it’s a shunt.  He tells us the surgery will be Tuesday at 7:30.  So again we start to make plans.  About 2 hours later Dr. Douser comes by and says “her head looks good”  So we’re having surgery tomorrow?  “Oh no, she’s ok right now, we’ll do an ultrasound tomorrow and go from there.”  I explained to him that his fellow told us we were doing a shunt tomorrow morning.  He tells me not to listen to him so I “politely” ask him to keep his fellow away from me!

I promise I’m nearing the end!!!  Wednesday morning I’m on my way to the hospital and I get a call from my pediatrician.  She was there doing rounds and the neuro fellow came by and her head size had grown again and they were going to do surgery today.  So I call Jeff and we AGAIN begin to make plans.  Granny and I get to the hospital, with Kaden, and are walking down the hallway when I see Dr. Dauser.  Good morning Dr. Douser I hear we’re doing surgery today.  “No, we’re not doing surgery today”  SWEET…..now I’ve been very patient and laid back through this whole process, but now ladies and gentlemen I’m ANNOYED.  So we go to the bedside to wait for Dr. Dauser who comes by about 2:00 and says yes the reservoir probably needs to be put in, but not on today.  He said they were going to tentatively put her on the schedule for Thursday, come by early that morning and make a decision then.  Well knowing she can’t go to surgery until she’s had nothing to eat for 6 hours and knowing they weren’t making a decision until Thursday morning we knew the surgery wouldn’t be until that afternoon….so again we made plans!  9:00 last night my phone rings and it’s my favorite fellow.  He informs me they’re going to put in a reservoir at 7:30 Thursday morning.  Excuse me, has this changed since Dr. Dauser was at the bedside this afternoon?  These are his exact words “Yes we decided very shortly after that to go ahead and do it first thing, and I’ve been busy – you know doing surgeries – and didn’t have time to call you until now”  He then proceeded to try to get me to consent to the surgery over the phone.  I politely told him I would consent to it in the morning when I got there (just to make sure she wouldn’t go to surgery without me)  and he says (I’m not making this up)  “but the surgery is at 7:30…you would have to be here by like 6:30”  to which I replied “sir you don’t have children do you?”   REALLY who in their right mind sends their child in for brain surgery when they’re not there?!??!!?

UGH.  so she had surgery, it went GREAT.  She was off the ventilator before I ever got into recovery and was eating and doing great when I left this afternoon.  The bad news is that because of the reservoir she has to be monitored closely for a while until the blood clot dissolves a little more.  This can’t be done outpatient so little sister will be in the hospital a couple more weeks.   That’s when I started crying!  Not when she went to surgery, not when she came out, but when they told me she couldn’t go home anytime real soon.  SUCH A ROLLERCOASTER!!!  We’re just so ready to have our baby girl home.  We know God has a plan and when he’s ready we’ll be one big happy family at home and it will be perfect!!!  But I’m still allowed to be disappointed right?!?!?

I know there are very few of you still reading, but for those of you  who are…..mom…..thanks for letting me rant!!!  I feel better….still hate the fellow that clearly has no children, but I feel better!!!  Keep the princess in your prayers!