Carter's Neurosurgeon wants him to have another MRI of his spine and brain and if anything has changed we will possibly have it repaired while we are there for his big surgery. His Neurosurgeon just wants to make sure there is not a change in his spinal cord that could be causing all of the unexplainable vomiting. The good news is we can have the MRI performed here at home and have the results sent to him. So I will call our Pediatrician later this week and get the MRI scheduled.
Our urologist went over the entire process of the big surgery and showed us pictures of what to expect. The images were extremely hard to look at and I am a nurse. We have felt so many mixed emotions about the surgery. We know it has to be done for Carter to survive, but we are still not looking forward to it. We are so blessed that God has led us to our amazing Urologist at Johns Hopkins. He is one of the main reasons children with Carter's condition survive today. He is not only a great Urologist, but a great person. We know with all of our heart that he will do whatever he can to provide Carter with the best quality of life as possible.
The "BIG" surgery will last 12-18 hours. They will first break Carter's pelvic bone in four places and cut four triangles of bone out if it. They will then place him in traction. He will go to the PICU where he will stay for at least 2 weeks. Everyday his pelvic bone will be stretched with an attempt to pull it closed in the front. To better understand this, right now Carter's pelvis is open like a book. They are going to try to close the book like a normal pelvis. The stretching procedure will allow for new bone growth and for Carter's pelvis to be even and round like ours. This is a newer procedure and was invented by Carter's orthopedic Doctor at Johns Hopkins. It is one of the many reasons Johns Hopkins success rate of closing bladder exstrophy is the highest the world. After two weeks Carter will go back to surgery and have his bladder put into his body. They will then put a metal plate over his bladder to help secure it and his pelvic bones. Then he will be on the road to recovery. He will be in traction for 6-8 weeks and our hospital stay will be up to 3 months. We are so ready to have this surgery behind Carter.
We are so proud of all the things Carter has overcome in his short life through God's blessings. We know that God will continue to rain down his love on us and provide us with the strength we need to get through all of this. Thank you all so much for all of your prayers and continued prayers for our family. We know that Carter would not be where he is today without them. As always... To Him be the Glory!!!
Poor Carter was not happy about the trip. He was ready to go home as soon as we got on the plane.
Carter stayed on the phone the entire time we were in the room! I think he was trying to call someone to come pick him up! :)
Watching a movie and being such a good boy on the plane!
After Carter's appointments on Tuesday we walked downtown. Here are a few pictures of the beautiful and very clean Inner Harbor.
The new Children's Hospital recently opened at Johns Hopkins. It is absolutely beautiful. For anyone who knows how big The University of Mississippi Medical Center is, Johns Hopkins is probably seven times bigger! It's huge!!! Here are a few pictures of the hospital.
Carter is such a precious, beautiful child and I pray for him and the whole family. I'm excited that he has reached the point where 'the big' surgery is possible and I know God is and will watching over all of you during this time and always. I'll be with you in prayer and thought.
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