Today was to be the day that represented another milestone in our journey toward Sherrie becoming more alert and whole. This was to be the day the surgeons would perform a cranioplasty and replace the portion of her skull that was removed with a titanium mesh.
We started our journey early knowing it would take a couple of hours to get down to Chicago and the hospital. I am always concerned about how Sherrie will take the ride knowing she can get nauseous fairly easily. This day she did great. We arrived at the hospital, got checked in and about 11:20p Sherrie went into a surgery that would take about 3 hours to perform. I left her feeling confident about the outcome.
About an two hours into the procedure, I got a page stating the doctor wanted to speak to me. My first reaction was "wow, that's great. It went better than planned and all is well". When I saw the surgeon, the first thing he said was, "let's find a room where we can have some privacy". My heart sank! He then proceeded to tell us that during the procedure they noticed a hard spot by her temple that was not really bone or tissue. After exploring further, they found a surgical sponge that had been left behind since her surgery in the Dominican Republic 4 months ago and it had become infected. The good news was that it was localized and didn't look like it had spread, but it put a stop to her planned procedure which could not continue until they are sure there is no risk of infection.
We also found, for whatever reason, there was no dura layer between Sherrie's brain and her scalp. This creates a couple of challenges. The first is that the tissue between scalp and the prosthesis becomes very thin and the second is that scar tissue can develop if the dura is not laid down properly after the craniotomy and can stick to brain tissue. When pulling back the scalp it can grab some tissue which can cause bleeding and we want no more bleeding! To fix this issue the surgeons place a bovine based tissue over the brain creating the layer that was once the dura. This is what Sherrie's surgeon did which when the crainoplasty occurs, will make it much easier to perform the procedure safely and effectively.
On the surface, it might seem like today's results were not good. They certainly were not what we had expected. It is important to understand, however, that prior to Sherrie's surgery we fasted and prayed as a family that Sherrie would be strong, that all would be well and the surgeons would be guided during the procedure. We were blessed to have a result that would avoid a future disaster. As the doctor told me, "had we not found the sponge and the infection spread to the brain, it would have been very bad". All that we had requested from a loving Father In Heaven was extended. How can we not be very grateful!
Sherrie will be in ICU for a few days as they monitor her for swelling and infection. She will then spend a few more days in a step down unit before being discharged. The timing of her crainoplasty is yet to be determined. If she does not have any bacteria from the forgotten sponge then it will be sooner. If the infectious disease doctors at the hospital need to keep her on a antibiotic regimen for a few weeks it will be a little later. Regardless, Sherrie's doctor will try and get this done as soon as possible.
I end the this day very grateful. A potential disaster was averted, my sweetheart is better prepared for her future crainoplasty, we have a neurosurgeon who really cares about my dear wife and prayers continue to be answered. Sherrie remains healthy and strong. She continues to be more and more active and is doing well in all her therapy sessions. Our prayers continue to be focused on her becoming more alert, verbal and stronger. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
We started our journey early knowing it would take a couple of hours to get down to Chicago and the hospital. I am always concerned about how Sherrie will take the ride knowing she can get nauseous fairly easily. This day she did great. We arrived at the hospital, got checked in and about 11:20p Sherrie went into a surgery that would take about 3 hours to perform. I left her feeling confident about the outcome.
About an two hours into the procedure, I got a page stating the doctor wanted to speak to me. My first reaction was "wow, that's great. It went better than planned and all is well". When I saw the surgeon, the first thing he said was, "let's find a room where we can have some privacy". My heart sank! He then proceeded to tell us that during the procedure they noticed a hard spot by her temple that was not really bone or tissue. After exploring further, they found a surgical sponge that had been left behind since her surgery in the Dominican Republic 4 months ago and it had become infected. The good news was that it was localized and didn't look like it had spread, but it put a stop to her planned procedure which could not continue until they are sure there is no risk of infection.
We also found, for whatever reason, there was no dura layer between Sherrie's brain and her scalp. This creates a couple of challenges. The first is that the tissue between scalp and the prosthesis becomes very thin and the second is that scar tissue can develop if the dura is not laid down properly after the craniotomy and can stick to brain tissue. When pulling back the scalp it can grab some tissue which can cause bleeding and we want no more bleeding! To fix this issue the surgeons place a bovine based tissue over the brain creating the layer that was once the dura. This is what Sherrie's surgeon did which when the crainoplasty occurs, will make it much easier to perform the procedure safely and effectively.
On the surface, it might seem like today's results were not good. They certainly were not what we had expected. It is important to understand, however, that prior to Sherrie's surgery we fasted and prayed as a family that Sherrie would be strong, that all would be well and the surgeons would be guided during the procedure. We were blessed to have a result that would avoid a future disaster. As the doctor told me, "had we not found the sponge and the infection spread to the brain, it would have been very bad". All that we had requested from a loving Father In Heaven was extended. How can we not be very grateful!
Sherrie will be in ICU for a few days as they monitor her for swelling and infection. She will then spend a few more days in a step down unit before being discharged. The timing of her crainoplasty is yet to be determined. If she does not have any bacteria from the forgotten sponge then it will be sooner. If the infectious disease doctors at the hospital need to keep her on a antibiotic regimen for a few weeks it will be a little later. Regardless, Sherrie's doctor will try and get this done as soon as possible.
I end the this day very grateful. A potential disaster was averted, my sweetheart is better prepared for her future crainoplasty, we have a neurosurgeon who really cares about my dear wife and prayers continue to be answered. Sherrie remains healthy and strong. She continues to be more and more active and is doing well in all her therapy sessions. Our prayers continue to be focused on her becoming more alert, verbal and stronger. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you and your family for your incredible examples of faith. Blessings to Sherrie.
ReplyDeleteThe Lippincotts
I am a firm believer that prayers are not often answered in the way we want them to be, but I do know that they are answered the way the Lord sees fit to answer them, and in this case, it was protection from a possibly horrible outcome. The Lord sees the full picture and knows how everything is going to work out, and I know that Sherrie is being watched over every step of the way. Prayers and love sent to your family always. Jennifer Uccardi.
ReplyDeleteSherrie continues to be in our prayers and the candle at our church continues to flicker for her. Thank you for providing us with such an unwavering example of love and faith.
ReplyDeleteThe Norcia Family
I have heard of stories of doctors instuments being left behind in patients during surgery but Sherrie is the first I know where this to be true. Sorry about that Sherrie. Good to hear that the dura layer can be reproduced with the bovine tissue and she will be better ready to have the titanium mesh put in. That is a tender mercy that was found. She will now beep when she goes through the metal detector at the airport! I think she will get a special pass to allow her to forgo that passage. Lucky her!! Continued thoughts, prayers and love for Sherrie and all of you wonderful Labrum family. The Dunns
ReplyDelete