An Eventful Few Weeks

A lot has happened in Sadie-Land in the past month. A few weeks back, Sadie had a series of sleepy days. As you know, sleepy days are few and far between for Miss Sadie. She is lucky if she gets a 30 minute nap each day. So, on a Sunday when she had slept 5-6 hours and barely woken up when roused, we were naturally concerned.

The following day, I mentioned this sleepy behavior to her Epileptologist during our routine visit. She shot me a concerned look and immediately sent Sadie to medical imaging to check if the fluid in her brain had started to build up again. At this point, we were only 2 1/2 weeks out from her cyst fenestration surgery.

Thankfully, the results came back fine. At this early stage, the fluid didn't look like it had started to accumulate again, but we wouldn't know for sure until Sadie's 6-week post-op CT scan. However, the doctor did express some concern about the tumor on the left side of her brain.

Chillin' in her stroller during a walk.

You see, Sadie has a tumor in her left hemisphere called a choroid plexus papilloma. We've known for some time that it was close to the third ventricle in her brain and had the potential to cause hydrocephalus (fluid buildup) should it shift or grow. Prior to her recent brain surgeries, she had been undergoing MRIs every 6 months to check for tumor growth and to ensure it doesn't block the ventricle. The doctor mentioned that THIS imaging showed the tumor to be partially obstructing the third ventricle.

So, now it seems we have two things to be concerned about - first, that the scar tissues doesn't re-form and cause blockage, and second, that the tumor doesn't get in the way and cause blockage. If either of these occur, then it appears that the only way to fix the problem is by placement of a shunt. We will know for sure if either of these things is occurring after her CT scan scheduled for this Thursday.

In other news, Mommy and Daddy were able to get away for vacation for a few days. But, despite a long talk with Sadie about NOT getting sick, she decided to do the opposite - just like a toddler! 

On Saturday night, her oxygen dropped and she developed a fever. When her temperature increased a few hours later, Grandma and Aunt Megan decided to take Sadie to the ER for assessment. Turns out, she had a mild pneumonia which was likely caused by aspiration from vomiting a few days earlier.


Sadie looking lovingly at Aunt Megan (Goo).

Another issue Sadie has been dealing with lately is slow motility. Or, in layman's terms - she can't poop. In the four weeks since her brain surgery, she has not been able to have a bowel movement without assistance of a suppository. We visited the GI doc this week who gave us some tips on how to get her to go...yes, it's a glamorous life we lead.

We did receive a bit of good news last week. After a visit with a doctor at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired we received confirmation that Sadie has normal vision in her left eye. Yay! We had heard this from her regular opthomologist, but I've become a bit of a sceptic when it comes to doctors, so it is always a relief to get confirmation from another source!

Please keep Sadie in your thoughts and prayers as we hope for good news out of Thursday's CT scan.