CT Scan Results

The CT scan showed good reduction in the size of the cyst, that the catheter is in the correct spot, and the ventricular tube swelling has reduced enough that the spinal fluid build-up is already draining some. The neurosurgeon says Caleb is responding well enough to be discharged when we feel comfortable doing so.  We have chosen to spend at least one more night here. Caleb has been asleep for the majority of the day so far & has not eaten very much at all (4 pop tarts & 3 powdered donuts since 2am). He's also not drinking much at all.

The docs are adding a muscle relaxer because Caleb is complaining of a very stiff neck (incision & staples there) and not being able to turn his head to the left. We're switching him off the pain medication, which was being given every 4 hours because of pain from the surgery itself, to Tylenol to see how he manages the pain.  The steroid dose has been cut in half!! We're also weaning him off the IV fluids to try to get him drinking more. We're hoping these actions will help with the edema situation.  Last night, his right hand began swelling more than his left, so we've had it elevated all night.

This morning he woke up screaming, "Mommy, look at my hand!"  His left hand was covered in blood, as was his chest & his face.  His nose was bleeding pretty significantly. We immediately called the nurse & started trying to get him cleaned up. We got him all cleaned up & the nurse said it was probably because of the dry air here & that his nose had just gotten irritated, but they'd keep an eye on it in case it was something more. About 5 minutes after she left, he admitted that just before it happened, he'd been sticking his finger up his nose because it itched. (I really thought we were past the "picking the nose" phase with him!) So, I told him that if his nose starts itching again to let me know & we'd put some saline spray in his nose to help moisten it. It seems to be working for now.


We're still waiting to speak with the oncology team about next steps & will update again when we have more information.