Prayers, Please

I'm not even sure how to start this one. I'm sure reading this, you're going to feel just as blind-sided as I did sitting in the Plagiocephaly Clinic hearing it today. We went in for his midway check up for the molding cap and I honestly thought it was going to be just a routine check where they would tell me similar things to what I heard last week at the Brace Shop. That could not have been farther from the truth. While Dawn, the Physician's Assistant, did say there has been improvement in the shape of Brian's head where it used to be flat, she was much less concerned with that than with the newly "narrow" portion of his left front forehead. She noticed today that the ridge in his forehead is longer and goes further back on the top of his head than she had originally noted. So, she brought in a surgeon to consult on his case.

This surgeon, Dr. Gordon, felt it was necessary to order a CT Scan of Brian's head. This scan will take place on Friday at Children's Main. Basically Brian's frontal sutures fused early forming the ridge. If they have fused all the way he will need surgery to correct this. The reasoning is that when this happens, the child's brain can swell due to not having enough room to grow and this causes cognitive issues down the line.

The surgeon and PA tried to reassure me that it's not likely that he will need surgery. They said his head having stayed at the same percentile (95th) all these months, bodes well for him. Also, Shawn has the ridge, so they said it's likely genetic. The surgeon said about 1 in every 20 kids they send for a scan, come back needing surgery. You've probably already guessed from my tone that I'm not at all reassured by this information. I'm a wreck.

For the scan Brian has to be sedated. He cannot eat anything 6 hours before the scan and cannot nurse 4 hours before. Remember he's teething so this part will be a real blast for all involved. He can have clear liquids up until 2 hours before, but it's scheduled for 8:30, so that's not likely to happen. I plan to wake him up and nurse him at 4a.m. just to make sure he gets something to eat before all of this.

So, again, the CT scan is on Friday morning and we go back to the Plagiocephaly Clinic on Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, to find out the results. I'm hoping for the Luck of the Irish to be with us on this one. Some prayers would be nice too. Thanks in advance for those. We'll keep you posted.