Whitney's Family's Blog: January 2009

January 16, 2009

MRI results

Wednesday afternoon we brought Whitney to the hospital for the MRI. We were placed in our own room and were told they were going to do a oral sedation. We were immediately thankful that she would not need an IV. The nurse let me give Whitney the syringe of sleeping fluid. I was thankful for this because for some reason, as the mom, I think I can do it better than the nurse. (: Then we turned the lights off and she was sopossed to just fall asleep within 15 minutes or so. She eventually fell asleep, woke up and fell asleep again. Matt and I went off to get a little food with pager in hand. She was supposed to sleep an additional 2 hours after the MRI to sleep off the affects of the medication. However, when we arrived back in our room Whitney was already awake. She proceeded to be fussy until bedtime. I am so glad that this behavior is unusual for her.

Thursday we went to the doctors office for the results. Her Chiari II is obviously present. It looks as though her spinal cord doubles over itself near the base of her neck. Very interesting to see. Since we have not experienced any symptoms or problems we do not treat it. Symptoms would include difficulty breathing or swallowing. There are a few other abnormalities in her brain but all of it is common for spina bifida patients. This was great to hear. I learned that all of spina bifida patients have a tethered spine but once again if there are no symptoms then we do not treat it. Issues may occur during large growth spurts. Such as when she is 3-4 and 11-12 years of age. So, we will worry about that later. Her shunt looks like it is operating wonderfully.

Thank you all for praying for Whitney. We are so thankful that the results were all positive. The next thing up ahead is February 2 when we see via x ray how her hip is doing.

January 9, 2009

Happy Birthday Whitney

Whitney turned one this week! Fiona continues to remind me that she is two and Whitney is one. It makes me think twice. They are both a delight and are very happy together. We celebrated with Matt's family enjoying cake and presents together. They were both excited about their new red wagon and yes, I gave Whitney a little frosting.

We started the year with another urinary tract infection (UTI). This is her third so far. Thankfully I suspected something before it got too bad. I was fearing that we would end up in the hospital again. We just finished one round of antibiotics and will start another for the next 6 weeks. This should enable the bladder to heal and prevent another one from forming soon. We also went to the pediatrician today. She mentioned that Whtiney's constipation may be contributing to the frequent UTI's. She prescribed a laxative and fiber for her. We will start that today and hope for good results.

Whitney's latest stats: 85th percentile for height (30 1/4") and 60th percentile for weight (21lbs-4 oz). Looking good.

We have an MRI scheduled for next Wednesday. Please pray that the sedation goes well. Specifically that they are able to get the IV in as she is a hard poke. Also, that it shows her Chiari II malformation is not hindering the flow of spinal fluid, that her shunt is continuing to preform correctly, and that her spine is not becoming tethered. We are thankful for all of you.