Friday, March 3rd

We got the results back from all of the tests that the neurosurgeons ordered last night, and it appears that Will's VP shunt remains unchanged... a very good thing. So, they do not want to "externalize" the shunt. But, they do need to do something about getting all of the fluid out of his chest.

This morning was really rough for me. When I walked into Will's room my heart sank. He was so swollen... more swollen than he has ever been. The poor guy can't even open his eyes and his lips look like they got collagen injections. When I asked what happened, his nurse told me that his incision managed to dry up a little and it closed. Normally, this would be a good thing, but lately his fluid has been draining from this site, and now it had no place to go. It broke my heart... I cannot stand to see him like this.

At first the docs wanted to got to the OR and insert a PD cath in his belly so it could drain some fluid. The neurosurgeons had a problem with this because they felt that it would increase the risk of infection of the VP shunt because the cath would be next to it.

So, Dr. Bove has come up with a better plan. He is taking Will to the OR this afternoon (sometime between 3-4) and he is going to insert a drain on the upper right side of his chest. It will be similar to a chest tube, but it will be much more effective because it is going to be inserted so that it can go straight to the source of the leakage.

I am pleased with this decision. One of the great things about it is that it won't require a 2nd trip to the OR to have it removed like the PD cath would have.

I will update in a couple of hours after Will is back from surgery.