Surgery # 2 today.....

Quick update.....last evening the docs came to Brad and I and told us that the culture from the day before that they took from Danielle's CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) from her shunt, had bacteria growth. This meant that part of the shunt that they had left in, now had to come out. UGH. Absolutely disappointing for Brad and I and most importantly Danielle, but this also complicates things a lot further.

So last night was rough. 3 am MRI that she wouldn't sit still for. Very painful still even with increased pain meds plus a muscle relaxer, and the MRI picture they got was not clear enough. So later this morning they took Danielle into surgery to remove that part of the shunt in her brain. The surgery was a success, she now has the ventricular drains in place. This is a drain that goes into her brain and drains into a bag with the flow of gravity outside her body. The super sad part about this, we are unable to hold her. It is crucial that her ventrics be adjusted and stay with how she is positioned to make sure that the flow of fluid out of her brain is just right. Here is what it looks like, I will show you on Danielle later, or you can revert to last November's post for pictures of her:

This likely will mean a couple of things. For sure another brain surgery down the road, when she is infection free, to put the shunt back in. It is NOT an option for her to not have a shunt, she has to have that to live. So another surgery at some point.
And also potentially several more weeks in the hospital. Plus with all of the recent things going on with her tummy, finding a new place to run the new shunt tubing from her brain. Before with all of her shunt's it has been ran into her tummy, well now they are thinking that it will have to drain to her heart. This is scary and I am just trying to take this all one day at a time and not think about that just yet.

So they will continue to take cultures daily. When she has her first negative culture they will then need 2 more negative cultures, so many days apart before they will go back and put her shunt in. As far as her tummy, that will be yet determined by the Pediatric Surgeons in the days coming.

Please please please, if you have it in your heart, pray for my girl. I am just absolutely sick that we are here again, in a similar place with a very very scary situation on our hands. I am just sick that she will be there for likely a few more weeks at the least. Please pray for comfort. I really really am stressing that they need to get her pain under control. She has been too painful up to this point and we need to figure out something else to keep her comfortable.

I will update again probably on Monday unless something changes. Thank you so much for checking in. Thank you for keeping Danielle in your thoughts and prayers, it means the world to Brad, Dylan and I. Hug your babies friends.
Much Love on this Saturday-