Carter is growing so fast and doing really well. The last three months have been busy to say the least. We went to Johns Hopkins in November to meet with the best urologist in the world for Carter's condition. Dr. John Gearhart is a true prayer answered. Not only is he the best in the world he is down to earth, friendly and very humble. This really lowered the high level of anxiety both Brandon and I were feeling.
This trip to Johns Hopkins was for an evaluation of Carter. He was put to sleep and a thorough evaluation was performed. Carter did great. We stayed overnight just to make sure Carter did ok with the anathesia. Staying overnight really gave Brandon and I an insight of what was ahead of us. We got to meet most of the wonderful nurses that will be taking care of Carter. Due to a wonderful family we met, Brandon got to view The Children's Home. A home we will be staying in while Carter is having his surgeries. It will be nice to have since all of the hospital rooms are semi-private.
Carter will have many surgeries in the future. The "BIG" surgery as we call it, will consist of putting Carters bladder inside his body and "setting" his hips. Setting his hips will consist of breaking them and using a metal plate to curve his hips. He will also have rods placed into his bones to hold them in place. Right now Carter's hips are splayed open like a book. This is a very intense surgery and can last 14-24 hours. Carter will be in traction, bed bound on his back, for atleast 6 weeks and we will be in Baltimore for approximately 2-3 months. It was very overwhelming to hear all of this. Although now I know this is the best thing for Carter and he will be in the best place possible.
In six months we will be going back to Johns Hopkins for x-rays to see if Carters bones are strong enough for the osteotomies. If his bones are strong enough we will schedule his "big" surgery and if not we will go back every couple of months until they are strong enough. Carter is also scheduled for a MRI of his spine in February. The MRI will show what form of spina bifida Carter has. We are hoping to have Carters spinal surgery completed before our next trip to Johns Hopkins in May. The spinal surgery will be here in Jackson at the Blair E. Batson Childrens Hospital.
Carter is a true blessing from God. He is a very happy baby. Even while not feeling good after his evaluation he managed to "flirt" with his nurses. He batted his eyes and smiled at all of them. I think the pictures above really show Carters personality.
