Surgical Evaluation

Renzi spoke with Texas Childrens Hospital this week and we are set to head back up there for the week of April 26th. We will check back into the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) for 5 days, exactly like we did back in January. They recommend that we go through the EMU again for a sort of surgical evaluation. We also are in the process of scheduling the 3 T MRI for before we go to Houston. We are having a bit of a problem getting this set up because the only place in Oklahoma that does full anethesia is OU Childrens Hospital and they only have the 1.5 MRI and we need the 3. We could possibly go to Tulsa to get the 3T done, but they only do sedation and our doctor's concern is that Isaiah will not be still enough with just sedation alone (based on the fact that under sedation and a tube in his throat the strong boy SAT up and tried to take the tube out of his mouth!). Our other option to get the 3T done before we get to Houston is to do it in Ft. Worth, which we might do. Dr. Norman's office is working with us to try to figure out the best option. *We could do the 3T in Houston, but apparently they can't do it until Tuesday or Wednesday of the week we are there and we would have to take all of the EMU equipment off of Isaiah and then put back on, which is quite a grueling process.

So, after the 2nd week of the EMU Isaiah's case will then be put to a surgical panel of 35 doctors. This panel includes neuroradiologists, epileptologists, other child neurologists, neurosychologists and neurosurgeons. This panel will decide whether Isaiah is a candidate for surgery.

After their evaluation if they decide Isaiah is a candidate we will then schedule his surgery, which will likely be at a later date so we will more than likely make another trip to Houston for the surgery.

We are feeling good about the options and are set to do whatever we need to do. Isaiah has been having a fabulous week and is sleeping like a champ. We have no idea why he is sleeping so well, but we are not going to try to figure out why. It's amazing what 5 days in a row of 8 hours of sleep a night can do for a person! :)

We have a fun weekend planned with lots of Easter activities. We are decorating eggs at the Hesketts tonight and have a full day of eating and Easter egg hunting, along with church on Sunday. Renzi, our friends the Peters and I are all doing a fast starting today until Sunday morning. We are doing it to be more aware of this time of Easter. We are also using it as a reminder to pray throughout the day, so whenever I feel hungry it will remind me to pray. We are able to drink veggie juice, smoothies, etc. so we should be able to make it 48 hours. Now that I am writing about not eating, I am suddenly starving. And I just woke up an hour ago. EEK!

Happy Easter all!

P.S. Here's a funny from Jackson. "Mom, I need TMILK (translation Chocolate milk) because I neeeeeed a party in my tummy."