Dr. H Checks In
Things are still about the same. Haley is still dealing with pain and she still has that blasted spinal headache. This morning Dr. Henderson's nurse, Rebecca, called to check on Haley. She said that Dr. H had called in from his vacation and asked her if she had heard from us regarding Haley. She said that she hadn't, and he asked her to call and check on her. I told her about the last several days and how our family doctor had made several calls to the covering doctor and also to the PA, seeking advise in how to treat Haley. I asked, again, about the blood patch, and she said she would contact him and get back to me.Infection
In the meantime, the home health nurse came to see Haley. She listened as I filled her in on the past several weeks' events. Then she wanted to look at all of Haley's incisions. When we removed the dressing on the back of her neck, we noticed what looked like infection. I immediately called both our family doctor and the Dr. Henderson's nurse. I actually took photos on my phone and was able to text them to Dr. Schubert and also to Rebecca, who would send them on to Dr. H. (Isn't technology wonderful?) Dr. Schubert immediately called a prescription for an antibiotic in to our local pharmacy. This is a bit scary to me, as she has screws and other hardware in her neck and skull, and an infection could be really bad. Please pray that this oral antibiotic works well and quickly. Our dear doctor Schubert is coming by the house tomorrow night to see it for himself!Blood Patch
On a more positive note, Dr. Henderson sent word through Rebecca saying, "Yes, please, get a CT guided blood patch." I think this may make all the difference in Haley's spinal headache. Of course, sometimes they don't work and need to be repeated, and there is a small chance that her shunt may be interfered with if it is not done just right.Side Note: It occurs to me that some may not know what a blood patch is. I will explain (or try to.) There is a covering over the brain and spinal cord called the Dura, which contains a liquid, the cerebral spinal fluid. This fluid serves as a sort of shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord. When there is a tear or puncture in the dura, fluid leaks out and the brain is left without that liquid protection. This is more pronounced when the person is upright, as gravity drains the fluid downward, resulting in a wicked headache. There is a space outside the dura called the epidural space, (where anesthesia is injected for having babies, etc). In a blood patch, blood is drawn from the person's arm in a pretty big vial, and then a needle is stuck in the low back into that epidural space. Then the person's own blood is put into the needle and pushed in. This is often done by anesthesiologists and is done by feel. Now, Haley is a bit more complicated because she has that shunt inside the dural space so it can drain CSF if the pressure gets too high. The other end of the shunt is sitting in her abdomen, where the fluid will be reabsorbed into her body and eliminated as urine. Because of this, Dr. H wants it done under CT guidance, which means that an interventional radiologist will put the needle in while he or she is looking at the whole thing under a CT scan. This means that they can be really sure that they are in the correct place before shooting the blood in. Hopefully that makes sense.
For now, she is still in a lot of pain. The doctors have changed around some meds, and we can get her a bit more comfortable for short periods of time, but she is grateful for any relief. Also, she is getting continuous IV fluids at home to try an encourage her body to make more CSF. She's able to eat small amounts, but still vomited at least once today, so it's slow and steady. She should be taking in as much caffeine as possible, but this has been hard. (Caffeine helps the process. Not sure how.)
Thanks to all who have prayed. Please continue to do so. We are ever so grateful!!
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