The neurologist that Megan saw when she was 7 months old requested that we have a new MRI done of Megan's brain so that she could compare it to her original scan and get a baseline of her brain. This is not something we were comfortable having done because Megan would have to be sedated for the procedure. Also, there wasn't a need for the MRI it was being requested as a "nice to have". When we discussed it with her pediatrician he agreed with us that it would be better to wait and that unless Megan started showing symptoms that needed to be investigated that we didn't ever have to have one done.
A couple of weeks ago I was doing some research online about some things related to Megan's therapies, etc. I came across a blog by a mother who was answering a question for another mother about MRIs and their benefits. She said that an MRI was a diagnostic tool that would show potential areas where your child would need assistance to master a skill; and not to look at it as a "this is what is wrong with your child" type of thing. You could use the information to get help for your child in advance of them being "behind" on a skill. We have been speaking over Megan that she is healed, healthy and whole since before she came into our lives. We believe that regardless of any test that Megan is perfect and able to accomplish anything she wants to in life.
So after stumbling upon the above information Will and I discussed it and decided it was time to have the test done. We scheduled an appointment with the Neurologist and she scheduled the MRI. The scan was this morning.
The four of us loaded into the truck at 7 am and drove the 51 minutes to the hospital in Raleigh. Almost as soon as we got on our way Megan started asking for cheerios. We weren't allowed to give Megan anything to eat or drink after midnight so of course we had to tell her no several times on the way to the hospital. We arrived just before 8 am and waited for our turn to register. After registration we were told to go to the MRI waiting room around the corner. We checked in at the waiting room and were told that we would be taken back in 5 minutes. About 12 minutes later we were escorted to a room. They asked us several questions regarding Megan's health and her exposure to metal. After several minutes of paperwork we were informed that her actual appointment wasn't until 9:30. Seriously? We were told that due to her age she would be up first or second (she was second) and 9:30 is their second appointment of the day. There was no way Sam was going to make it until 9:30 for breakfast (we weren't going to feed him in front of her) so I took him to the cafeteria to feed him once we were informed of that her appointment was still 45 minutes away.
I had time to feed Sam breakfast and go back into the room for several minutes before they came and got Megan. She went with the nurse without any issues and was happily checking out her scrub cap when we left. The three of us went to the cafeteria so Will and I could eat and to burn some time. About 42 minutes after they took Megan from us we were called back to the recovery room. We were both expecting Megan to be awake at this point because that is how it went after her surgery, plus we both thought that the nurse who came and got us told us she was awake. However, that was not the case and when we turned the corner Megan was lying on her back, asleep, with an oxygen mask on her face and a partial tube in her nose. I literally had to catch my breath. I wasn't expecting this and it was a little difficult to see. After a few minutes (3-4) Megan started trying to roll over so the nurse removed the mask and tube and she rolled onto her tummy and pulled her legs underneath her. They let her sleep like that for about 15 minutes. She said that they find that if they will let the kids sleep for about 15 minutes after the anesthesia wears off then they are a lot less cranky when you wake them up. When it was time to wake her up I went to the other side of the bed and held her hand and made sure she knew we were with her. She did so good. She was a little groggy and wasn't thrilled that the nurse was removing the leads from her chest but she handled it just fine.
At this point the nurse let me pick her up and hold her in my lap. We started offering her some water in her sippy cup and she drank and drank which meant they could remove the IV. By this time Megan was pretty much awake and looking like herself, contrary to what the kid who had the appointment before her looked like when they left.
By the time we got Megan to the truck and into her seat she was asking for Cheerios. This made me so very happy. She felt so awful after her surgery that she didn't want to move when we put her in the car and then she threw up 4 times on the way home, so her acting like herself and asking for food was a great sign. She ate Cheerios all the way home and then as soon as we got home I made lunch and she ate a full lunch.
Initial Phone Call
On Friday I received a phone call from the nurse. She said that Dr. Schaffer wanted her to call with the results of the MRI. She said "the MRI showed changes consistent with her birth difficulties". I asked her what that meant and she said that they could see the damage that was present at birth. She couldn't really answer my questions and said that was what the doctor said to tell us and that she would go over everything in detail at our appointment on Monday. Initially I was stuck on the way the information was presented and researched that wording, unsuccessfully. Eventually, after I got Will on the phone and told him what had been discussed, I was devastated. We have believed from day 1 that Megan is healthy and whole and I felt like this scan was God letting me down. I am okay now - I know that no matter what the scan or the doctor says that Megan is whole and able to accomplish anything she wants. God is in control even if I didn't get the scan that I was hoping for, He is still taking care of Megan.
Tomorrow morning the kids and I will meet with the doctor and she will tell me what she thinks Megan's scan means. I will be taking a recorder and will be requesting that I be allowed to tape it so that Will can get all of the information. I will be taking notes, but I will also be taking care of both kids so I am sure a little distracted. I am going into the appointment with the same attitude that I have had from the beginning. My daughter is capable of anything and anything that I am told to the contrary will be disregarded.
Results
On Monday morning the kids and I headed to see the neurologist to get her feedback on Megan's results. She allowed me to record the visit since Will couldn't attend, though neither of us have listened to it yet. She started out by explaining the terminology in the report she handed me. Next she went through the scans showing me what she saw. I am going to give a brief overview of what she said.
First, there are basically two parts of the brain - grey matter and white matter. The scan that Megan had when she was 4 days old showed generalized (meaning all over) damage to both her grey matter and her white matter. The grey matter is the part of the brain that learns things or accomplishes things and the white matter is the conduit for signals to get from one part of the brain to another, etc. There is a ton about the brain that doctors don't know or understand. They know that infants/children's brains can recover from injuries and/or rewire themselves. She said that damage to the grey matter is permanent and that the white matter is the part that can recover.
Megan's current scan showed that her grey matter has healed completed and is growing as it should. There is no damage whatsoever to it. MIRACLE #1. This is not supposed to be possible.
Her white matter has atrophied since the last scan meaning it has gotten smaller. She still has white matter throughout her brain it is just thinner than it should be or less than it should be. What this means is that in her current state it is more difficult for signals/messages to get through. So, obviously this is an area that continues to need prayer. We are praying and believing that Megan's white matter is increasing.
It has been proven that you can improve your white matter. You can eat certain things that help, take supplements and complete exercises. Thankfully we have already been feeding Megan the foods that will help her and we just need to increase their volume (blueberries, strawberries, black-eyed peas, fish). We added an Omega supplement yesterday to get her started and will be ordering a very potent version of the supplement as well.
MIRACLE #2 or #2000......children who have a scan that looks like Megan's don't learn to roll over, sit up, clap, hold a cup, feed themselves, etc. She told me that and said, "I guess in Megan's case having a family that loves her has been what made the difference". She really is stumped. We have never expected anything from Megan other than to develop like a "regular" child. She is healed and whole and capable of doing anything and everything.
In my opinion there was definitely some negative information from the appointment but a lot more positive. I haven't received/seen the miracle I was expecting yet but we are definitely witnesses to a lot of miracles in Megan's life.
The neurologist doesn't need to see her again for a year and I know that the next time she sees Megan she will be ready to hear how it is God who has made the difference in Megan's life. Because by her next visit Megan will be walking and talking and where a 3 year old should be and it will be too much for the doctor to ignore.
Initial Phone Call
On Friday I received a phone call from the nurse. She said that Dr. Schaffer wanted her to call with the results of the MRI. She said "the MRI showed changes consistent with her birth difficulties". I asked her what that meant and she said that they could see the damage that was present at birth. She couldn't really answer my questions and said that was what the doctor said to tell us and that she would go over everything in detail at our appointment on Monday. Initially I was stuck on the way the information was presented and researched that wording, unsuccessfully. Eventually, after I got Will on the phone and told him what had been discussed, I was devastated. We have believed from day 1 that Megan is healthy and whole and I felt like this scan was God letting me down. I am okay now - I know that no matter what the scan or the doctor says that Megan is whole and able to accomplish anything she wants. God is in control even if I didn't get the scan that I was hoping for, He is still taking care of Megan.
Tomorrow morning the kids and I will meet with the doctor and she will tell me what she thinks Megan's scan means. I will be taking a recorder and will be requesting that I be allowed to tape it so that Will can get all of the information. I will be taking notes, but I will also be taking care of both kids so I am sure a little distracted. I am going into the appointment with the same attitude that I have had from the beginning. My daughter is capable of anything and anything that I am told to the contrary will be disregarded.
Results
On Monday morning the kids and I headed to see the neurologist to get her feedback on Megan's results. She allowed me to record the visit since Will couldn't attend, though neither of us have listened to it yet. She started out by explaining the terminology in the report she handed me. Next she went through the scans showing me what she saw. I am going to give a brief overview of what she said.
First, there are basically two parts of the brain - grey matter and white matter. The scan that Megan had when she was 4 days old showed generalized (meaning all over) damage to both her grey matter and her white matter. The grey matter is the part of the brain that learns things or accomplishes things and the white matter is the conduit for signals to get from one part of the brain to another, etc. There is a ton about the brain that doctors don't know or understand. They know that infants/children's brains can recover from injuries and/or rewire themselves. She said that damage to the grey matter is permanent and that the white matter is the part that can recover.
Megan's current scan showed that her grey matter has healed completed and is growing as it should. There is no damage whatsoever to it. MIRACLE #1. This is not supposed to be possible.
Her white matter has atrophied since the last scan meaning it has gotten smaller. She still has white matter throughout her brain it is just thinner than it should be or less than it should be. What this means is that in her current state it is more difficult for signals/messages to get through. So, obviously this is an area that continues to need prayer. We are praying and believing that Megan's white matter is increasing.
It has been proven that you can improve your white matter. You can eat certain things that help, take supplements and complete exercises. Thankfully we have already been feeding Megan the foods that will help her and we just need to increase their volume (blueberries, strawberries, black-eyed peas, fish). We added an Omega supplement yesterday to get her started and will be ordering a very potent version of the supplement as well.
MIRACLE #2 or #2000......children who have a scan that looks like Megan's don't learn to roll over, sit up, clap, hold a cup, feed themselves, etc. She told me that and said, "I guess in Megan's case having a family that loves her has been what made the difference". She really is stumped. We have never expected anything from Megan other than to develop like a "regular" child. She is healed and whole and capable of doing anything and everything.
In my opinion there was definitely some negative information from the appointment but a lot more positive. I haven't received/seen the miracle I was expecting yet but we are definitely witnesses to a lot of miracles in Megan's life.
The neurologist doesn't need to see her again for a year and I know that the next time she sees Megan she will be ready to hear how it is God who has made the difference in Megan's life. Because by her next visit Megan will be walking and talking and where a 3 year old should be and it will be too much for the doctor to ignore.
Such great news! We love you all and are happy to hear you received such good news.
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