Sometimes we feel like we live here...

Its October in North Carolina... the sun is out and the temperatures are in the 70s. We wouldn't really know it from our perch on the seventh floor of the UNC Children's Hospital. Its been a rough couple of weeks for us but we're hopeful things will be looking up soon!

Over Labor Day weekend, little William started getting very sick. Upon admission into the ER at UNC, we determined that the distal end to his shunt (that is the end that goes from his skull to his belly) was blocked and required surgery to correct. Will did wonderful post-op, and we were allowed to return home after 24 hours to complete his recovery.

Just three weeks after his little brother's trip to the ER (after Will's stitches came out and his triumphant return to the bathtub - see photo at left), Luke decided to start throwing up too. Because both boys have VP shunts, we can't assume that vomiting and lethargy are "a bug" and changes in appetite are "just babies being babies." Vomiting and lethargy are key indicators that the shunt is malfunctioning, so we have to go to the hospital and have x-rays and CT scans.

So there we were, three weeks later in the pediatric ER again. They do all the necessary tests, and feel as though Luke's vomiting is caused by... a bug! They send us home with strict dietary restrictions. Only two days later, Luke is doing worse. He was actually awake only 2 hours out of a 24 hour period. Back to the ER on September 25th.

They took Luke into surgery pretty quickly, and in the end, had to replace his proximal catheter, which is the part that runs from the inside of his brain to the outside of his skull. More dangerous than Will's surgery. But he, too, recovered like a champ. The return to his personality was almost instantaneous, thank goodness. We missed our funny little guy! The neurosurgeon saved a lock of his hair for us (yay scrapbooks!), as this was Luke's first "haircut."

Will has been doing wonderfully since his shunt revision. His appetite has picked up incredibly, he is *thankfully* sleeping better through the night, and even his physical and visual therapists have noticed a positive change in his attitude and level of motivation. Will got his Kid Kart recently (see playtime with Grandpa at left), which is a positioning seat that allows him to interact well with the family, and be properly supported through his neck and trunk. He continues to see physical therapy and visual therapy weekly, and has speech therapy twice per week. He has been doing so well and we are so proud of him!

September 27 was our 5th anniversary. We had planned to get out of town, but plans change! We went to a lovely dinner in Raleigh. Thanks to Oma for babysitting!

The following Monday, we noticed that the area around Luke's surgical incision was filling with fluid. This is a dangerous situation, as the fluid was either cerebral spinal fluid or blood. The neurosurgery resident advised us to come back to the pediatric ER. They did more x-rays and CT scans. Then they wrapped Luke's head in gauze. He had what is called a "pseudomeningocele" - a benign fluid filled space that heals itself. Say that three times fast. After no sleep and a full can of Red Bull. They kept us for observation for 24 hours, and Luke passed with flying colors. Home we went. Surprisingly, Luke didn't mind the wrap on his head. He got funny nicknames like "Q-tip" and "mushroom-top." See photographic blackmail material at left. We even went to the pumpkin patch with Grandpa and Grandmama.

But little Luke, he wasn't quite done with just one surgery. Yesterday, he vomited again after acting pretty cranky and lethargic. Back again to UNC. Back to the radiologic center to get the x-rays and CT scans that we could do ourselves. Back to the operating room. This time, Luke had to have his distal catheter revised. This is the same surgery that little brother had a month ago.

He is doing well post-op - just a little groggy and irritated at all the tubes and wires (see photo with Daddy at left). We'll be at UNC for at least the next 24 hours while they make sure he's doing ok. Will is loving being an only child at home with Oma (and Otis!).

To answer your question, is this normal? Here is the answer that we have... The average shunt lasts for 8 years however when a child is growing, they are more likely to have shunt complications. The boys had their shunts placed in April 2007, so this is about 18 months. Its just unfortunate. We're ready to go home and stay home for a while! Thanks for checking in on us! We're going to try to update this a little more regularly than we had been with the CarePage.