What you learn while waiting your turn at St. Paul Children’s hospital:
1. Miss Minnesota is a very pretty volunteer. And she’s nice. I’m pretty sure you have to be nice to be Miss Minnesota. I almost snatched the tiara right off her noggin, but I restrained myself.
2.You can wait over an hour past your appointment time and still live. Even if you’re with a one-year-old during his regularly scheduled nap time.
3. Latex gloves make excellent balloons (if you carefully seal the opening around your mouth and blow REALLY hard.) These balloons can entertain your one-year-old for seconds or even minutes. Because you can blow them off your face dramatically, letting them fly across the room, smacking your husband in the groin. Fun for everyone.
4. If you want your child’s name to finally be called, just go to the bathroom and take your sweet time, washing your hands while singing the abc’s and thinking about all the gazillions of germs you’ve encountered. They’ll call your child’s name while you’re in there. Works every time.
Okay, now for the update. For those of you who are new here (and I’m sure there are thousands and thousands of you) Asher has hydrocephalus, a condition where the spinal fluid in the brain is not flowing through the ventricles and getting out, so it’s pooling basically. That’s my really lame definition, anyway.
We met with the neurosurgeon yesterday and looked over the MRI. He explained that the fluid in the ventricles is now basically pushing Asher’s cerebellum (at the back base of the brain) down. This is called the Chiari malfunction. Obviously that’s not good, but will most likely correct itself after the shunt is put in. The other more pressing issue (pun intended) is that the two biggest ventricles that are the most full have some fluid seeping out of them since they’re so big. That fluid is going into the brain tissue. This isn’t life threatening, but it’s a good idea to make it stop. It’s happening very slowly, but it’s part of the reason Asher needs to have a shunt put in soonly.
Asher’s large neurosurgeon (I say “large” because he is a very BIG man-Ryan keeps joking about how hard it must be to do brain surgery with sausage fingers, but I digress)…wait, what was I saying? Oh, the large neurosurgeon says that he would have liked to have done the surgery next week, but Asher is sick and on antibiotics so we need to let that clear up before he can go into surgery. So his surgery will be the week after Thanksgiving. We’re supposed to get a call with date and time today.
Now if you’re a praying person, here is something specific for you. I believe God loves Asher a whole lot and knows how to time this thing. We just need a healthy baby so we can get in there and get this surgery done, relieving the cerebellum and such. So, NO MORE COLDS!
There you have it!
Seeing an MRI of Asher’s brain, the problems therein, and having a neurosurgeon point out exactly where he’ll be working on that brain is disturbing. But we can do nothing now but believe that this will all happen smoothly. It is when we have no control that we experience the most peace, knowing it isn’t up to us and believing that it’s up to Someone much more powerful than we are. We’re thankful for that peace.
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I’ll be praying for y’all!
Well, maybe he has a cold for a reason. There is a specific reason why after Thanksgiving is a better time for the surgery. IT. WILL. BE. OK. Just know that…and of course my prayers will continue. :o)
Praise the Lord and pass the glove balloons. Hang in there, you’re doing GREAT. We’ll pray you All up good.
Blessings, Whitney
I’m the prayin’ type… and I was already praying for you and Asher.
{{hugs}} to you, friend.
I wish I would have known about the bathroom trick 2 days ago when I sat in the waiting room for 2 hours with a baby and a 9 year old. Good freakin’ times right there!
So, basically you’re saying that the time in the waiting room could have gone a little better…? :)
Prayers for no more colds? I’m on it.
Did she REALLY wear a tiara to volunteer? Sorry, anyway, I will absolutely be praying for you and sweet Asher.
Goodness, and tiara? I’d probably be tempted to snatch it off her head too.
~snicker snicker~
Prayers for you and that the timing will be good and that Asher will get healthy and stay healthy.
Focus on the “Very slowly” part and know that God’s timing is perfect. It’ll be fine!
Did you know your comments are in black background, I can’t read them…so I don’t know if anyone wrote what I want to write…I don’t care…but if I repaet then you’ll know why.
We have friends whose daughter has Chiari. Her name is Abi, If you’d like I can get you her caring bridge address or I can hook you up with Traci, the mom, she is one fabulous lady.
How stinkin’ cool that you met Angie too! She’s was my Mom’s queen until she won Miss MN…She is very purdy! And YES, I DO know that feeling of longing to snatch the crown! You should try to restrain yourself when you are the one gaurding the crown in it’s box right before the pagent…NOW that takes will power! Hubby was so proud of me he bought me my own, it’s not THE Miss MN crown BUT it’s all mine! hee hee…I should wear it more!
Praying and praying. For a successful surgery and now for no more illnesses period!
I am definitely praying for you and sweet Asher.
Will be praying. I know it’s so hard not to be able to do things on our time schedule, but I love what you said about God being in charge. And he is, and it will all work out for the best.
This girl will keep on praying for Asher, for you, for your family. May you all be well soon, and may He give you added reason to be thankful this year!
We will continue praying here. I’m glad to hear that you are finding peace in all of this. Thanks for the update!
Oh, crumb! Here’s crossing my fingers that none of you picked up something while there. My Big Guy had constant ear infections when he was Asher’s age because he went in for a recheck two weeks after going on antibiotics, which weakens your immune system to viruses–and while he was waiting to see if he was better, he got something new and we went through the whole thing again. Definitely a matter for fervent prayer! We’re on it at our house!
i’m thinking your hubby should get you a tiara for christmas. sounds like you’ve been thru a lot lately and need some lovin’!
hang in there sweet bloggy friend. i am MORE than confident God has his hand in this and will bring about everything perfectly for this sweet child of yours. i too will be praying for you and your family.
Oh I am praying for your sweet boy. My niece had multiple heart problems and needed to have open heart surgery. They went to Cleveland for surgery and were there for almost a month — she had a cold and they couldn’t do a thing. They came back to Utah so saddened. Then, she got better and they ended up doing the surgery here. You’re right, God knows the timing and circumstances that need to happen for that sweet baby.
I pray that he will get better so that God’s will can be done.
Love to all of you!
HUGS and prayers!!!!!!!!
And yes, going to the bathroom works every time!
Aren’t we SO lucky to live in a day and age with suck amazing technology? I know that he will be blessed with so many praying for him!! You all will be in my prayers!!
Thinking of you all. So sorry the surgery had to be put off an extra week. Can’t be fun for that little guy (or you) to have all that pressure in his head PLUS congestion!! Hoping that you’re all well soon and that the surgery can happen as planned.
I am impressed with your strength during this trying time. Hang in there–we are upholding little Ash man in our prayers.
My mom sent me the FBC’s prayer chain email this morning for this little one! I told her I am on the inside track wtih this one.
If his surgery is at Childrens you should tell the nurse to page “Kyle the chaplain” bc you heard he does some seriously stellar patient care. And bc he would get paid to see friends. Win win, right? :-) See you tonight!
Asher is now a common name in our family prayers. ♥
I think you have amazing faith. The way you are getting through this shows amazing strength of character. I’m sure that’s no help for you NOW, but maybe later it will be. And for Asher and Miles, too.
My prayers are with you and your sweet boy.
I am pulling for you! All will be well. Doctors are so specifically trained now. It is weird to look at the brain I am sure. When I had an echocardiogram it was so strange to see my own heart beating. You are a strong lady and you will push (pun) your little family right through it. Prayers from Utah.
Prayers said. And thanks for the tip on latex gloves!
I am thankful for that peace for you, too. Thanks for the update.
Thanks for updating us… and I’m grateful y’all are feeling at peace, for the most part.
I do wish to say, however, that Miss Maryland ROCKS THE PARTY. Because I didn’t hear anything about Miss Minnesota letting you touch her crown. And we at Tonggu House are all about touching the bling.
I just love that you haven’t lost your sense of humor through all of this. I will certainly continue to send up my prayers on behalf of your family.
I will be thinking about you and your boy and your husband. My son and I will say a little prayer for you at bedtime tonight….can’t wait for good news blogging.
Those gloves make really great water balloons too. Try it out next time you are waiting. Try both hot and cold water, and try tying the fingers together. Hours of fun! But really, I’ll be praying for you.
You have some prayers going up from the East side!
You and yours will be in my prayers. I hope Asher will be healthy enough soon for the surgery to finally happen, and he will finally get relief from his noggin-ache. And you, most wonderful momma, can catch a break.
FYI, I came over to let you know I will be on blog-cation and will not be able to visit and comment for awhile. I will miss your posts but I will be back. Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
Darn cold and flu season! I’ll be keeping your little boy in my prayers!
So sorry you’re still dealing with the ICK at your house. I’ll get Grant (5 years old) praying for Asher too. His prayers ALWAYS work!
I’m not only praying he’ll steer clear of the colds, I’m praying the surgery will get moved up, somehow.
Thanks for the report, Heather. You are close to my heart.
First post I read when we got back from our trip. I kept thinking about it while we were gone! I’m so glad you at least are on to the next step.
We will be praying for a healthy Asher!!
And I just loved the four things you learned. The “how to get your child’s name called” will come in especially handy.
I am definitely praying for you!
Just got caught up hun, what a lot on your plate but how much joy there is in knowing Asher’s problems can be fixed. You’re in my thoughts and prayers often. ~hugs~
He will be healthy, both from colds and after this surgery. I’m praying with uber-positiveness. It’s going to happen, all will be well! *hugs*
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