Pediatric Neurosurgeon Visits Carter

Denver's only private-practice neurosurgeon visited Carter today. As she felt around his head, deliberately moving his area around rather aggressively, she told me that she sees this "all the time". Wait, what? "All the time" may have been a bit of hyperbole but her casual attitude about his condition was very reassuring. What it more than likely is is some blood that clotted during birth, or shortly thereafter, in his scalp and went unrecognized because it was hard like the rest of his skull. As the weeks went on, the coagulated blood started to return to its liquid state and became a patch of fluid caught between the layers of skin on his scalp. Scalp - not brain. Every case that she has seen has resolved itself within the aforementioned timeframe of about 8 weeks from presentation. Remember, this first presented the Tuesday after father's day.

I guess the main comfort that I derived from the doctor's visit centered around the facts that she knew what it was and that every case she's seen has resolved itself without intervention. This diagnosis differs from the original in that originally they thought it was a collection of CSF (cerebral spinal fluid). Both diagnoses are benign but we are going with the new one given the circumstances and logic involved. I wish Sandy had been here for the consult but as luck would have it, the one time she actually takes an hour for "Sandy time" to get her hair done, the specialist shows up. At least her hair looks good. :)

Another great note about today: Carter has been on room air (no oxygen help) since 6 am Saturday morning. His oxygen levels have been outstanding! He has still bradied numerous times but it's expected when he's sick like this.

He's still not allowed to eat until Monday at the earliest so his intestinal bug can run its course. This caused him to lose 10 grams which I believe is good - all things considered. He hasn't pooped in 2 days which is a good thing. The doctor explained to me today that blood in the intestinal tract makes humans poop like crazy so it's a good sign that he hasn't pooped; maybe the inflammation is receding.

On a personal note, I changed my first diaper today. I know: shame on me. And Sandy probably won't give me full credit for it either since it was only a #1'er instead of one of his diapers filled with presents. Whatever, I'm patting myself on the back, I don't care what you say. Ha!

Our little fighter is amazing. I think that's pretty clear. It is astounding that on a daily basis he never ceases to set the bar just a little higher. His bad days are interspersed with the good but I truly believe that one cannot recognize the progress without considering the bumps in the road that remind us that we are all human. The difference with Carter is that he is so fearlessly good at getting back on the horse to give it another shot. He always recovers quickly, he always advances faster and better than the benchmark, and I know he will continue set the pace for everyone around him as long as he lives. Thank you for supporting our little miracle.

Nick & Sandy