After receiving all of that terrible news, we were finally scheduled to meet with the neurosurgeon. We were trying to be optimistic and positive but still realistic and not have high expectations of good news. It was finally time to meet the doctor. The doc didn’t waste any time in letting us know that after reviewing all of the baby’s scans he thought she was going to be fine but would most likely have some developmental delays. The doc didn’t see any damage to her brain tissue in the scans. We couldn’t believe it. After all of this time and horrific stories of potential outcomes finally came some amazing news. We could breathe a sigh of relief. The doc was completely confident that a VP shunt would do the job and keep the fluid from filling her head once she was born. The doc would place the shunt in her head, which at the time I didn’t have any idea what a shunt was or what it did. It’s a small device implanted between the skin and skull just behind her ear. It has a long silicone tube that runs the length of her head to her abdomen. It drains the excess fluid via the tube into an empty cavity in her belly area. The doc would have to wait until she was a few days old to do the surgery but was very confident it would go smoothly.
Does your child have a shunt? When did they have it placed? How are they doing now? Please leave a comment or email me directly.
Emma Bear's Journey 