Shunt procedure 2

It's been a difficult couple of days for Susan. Having two identical tubes located in the same area near her right clavicle caused the neurosurgery team to make a mistake yesterday. Thinking her recently-implanted VP shunt tube was routed to the right of her port catheter tube, they cut the wrong one when trying to extract the shunt. As a result, IV access through her port was literally cut off, causing the saline drip to infiltrate and swell the surrounding tissue. Meanwhile, the blocked shunt tube remained intact.

The good news is it apparently caused no other problems than disturbing the tissue and forcing a new sequence of procedures. Late last night they put in a temporary central line to supply needed IV access. New imaging shows the shunt tube crosses to the left of the catheter line and extends down along the center of her chest wall. This evening the neurosurgery team is extracting the shunt tube so Susan’s CSF can drain externally as intended. Next, the vascular surgeon who implanted her port catheter will remove it as well, perhaps tonight.

Once her brain hemorrhage and hydrocephalus properly stabilize, she’ll have a two-part surgery where the neurosurgery team will implant a new VP shunt, then the vascular surgery team will follow and implant a new port catheter. Such a deal.

Meanwhile, Susan had an MRI this morning for a detailed view of her brain bleed. I haven’t heard the radiologist’s report yet, but since she’s been mostly stable, I suspect the bleed has stabilized also. She’s definitely several notches below normal with spotty orientation and hit-or-miss responsiveness.

I had a surprising report from the neurosurgeon who tapped her shunt yesterday – she woke up before he even tapped it, which blows my mind. That means she went from deep, unresponsive sleep to being awake and alert regardless of having CSF drained to relieve pressure. That kind of sleep returned this afternoon, causing everyone to be concerned again about her status until she was able to be roused. Perhaps this week’s events have just made her neurologically unstable, hopefully just for now. We’ll know in time.

Being able to post updates on this blog and on Facebook has brought friends and family to respond in prayer and with encouraging comments. I want you all to know how deeply we appreciate your care and prayers. A hemorrhage of any kind sounds scary; but learning Susan had a brain hemorrhage rattled me – even for the second time. Such news is never welcome.

But the hope and peace God provides are real and steel-strong for us. I can’t explain Susan’s brain tumor or her many complications or her nearly six years of survival. I can’t explain how we haven’t crumbled under it but for God and his catalog of mercies for us. You’re part of it, both as a source of blessing to us and as witnesses of God’s grace in spite of heavy circumstances. We love and thank the Living God and we love and thank you. Thank you for keeping Susan in prayer.