Lena and I finally came home from the hospital, after another emergency surgery, on Monday October 1st. My little one had to have another emergency surgery on Sunday afternoon to correct the placement of the shunt tubing. When I last wrote I mentioned that she was having more trouble recovering from this surgery than the others. Well, when I mentioned it and the fact that her belly was distended to her surgeon he had some x-rays taken to make sure everything was okay. It wasn’t. The x-rays showed that the tubing had not uncoiled so there was definitely a problem. He took her to the OR right away. When they went in they discovered that the tubing was not in her peritoneal cavity but sitting between two layers of tissue, draining all of the fluid into the tissues not the cavity as it is supposed to, that is why she was in so much pain. As soon as they corrected the problem she felt so much better. She recovered very well and we went home on Monday afternoon.  They sent us home on some very powerful antibiotics (Linezolid) to help prevent a recurrent shunt infection. After 5 weeks in the hospital, we do not want to go back any time soon and they don’t want to see us back either.

Boy oh boy, is it ever good to be back at home. together as a family again. Sorry that it took so long to post an update but things have been busy around here. Follow up appointments, getting back into PT and OT, celebrating our anniversary, celebrating thanksgiving and just enjoying being at home. The girls adjusted back to our regular routine very quickly though. I think they are relieved to be back together again too. Both of them are eating and sleeping better now that we are all back into our crazy routine again.

So we have been at home over a week now and things are going great. Lena is healing very well. Her eyes are better, she seems to focus a lot better than she did before. She also responds to light a lot better. Defiantly a good sign. Before her surgery in August the Ophthalmologist was afraid that she didn’t see very well. We were hoping that releasing the pressure in her cyst would help. It seems that the surgeries during our marathon hospital stay seem to have helped her in the vision department. Lena is such a happy girl, laughing and giggling and talking up a storm again.  She does this funny little happy “dance” when she gets excited. I have to get it on video and post it, it’s hilarious. What a relief, she’s back to her old self again, now we just have to work on getting her caught up to Kassie developmentally.

Kassie has made some leaps and bounds in the last month and a half. My quiet little mouse has turned in to a talkative, interactive clown. She is such a card. She loves to smile and laugh and play play play. She is such a joy to have around. I tell you if anyone is having a bad day all they have to do is talk to Kassie and she’ll have you smiling and laughing in seconds. I fear my little girl is going to be the class clown.