Asher Update and some questions answered

Posted on Tuesday~January 27th, 2009

Asher with his "My Mom Rocks" custom made pacifier, courtesy of the lovely Charrette.
(That lady totally rocks.)
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It's been almost two months since Asher's surgery! Thank you for continuing to ask how he's doing. I don't find it intrusive at all. We appreciate that our bloggy and real-life friends think of us.

(If you're new here, you can click on The Noggin under the labels in the left sidebar to learn more. Asher has hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid doesn't drain properly from the brain to the spinal cord. He had a brain shunt put in recently.)

At his appointment last week, the only "concern" was his language development. He's falling a little behind there, but then again many kids do. When he's six and talking our ears off, I'm sure we'll think it was silly to have worried.

So we're choosing not to worry.

Now that Asher has recovered and we're finding our groove of "normalcy," I'm finally posting some pictures, knowing that one day I'll wish I had these memories documented. It's hard to look at them right now, but at the same time, they are a great reminder of the grace and peace we experienced around and during the surgery.

My parents with Asher right before the surgery.

Right after the surgery.

In the much despised hospital bed.

Asher thanks God for a successful surgery.

(okay, okay, he was just reaching for a mobile, but he is VERY spiritual.)

Asher loved leaving his room,

so we wagoned the halls quite often.

He wants out.


And he thanks YOU for all your support!

And so do I.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to answer a couple of questions. People often ask if Asher's shunt is permanent. Yes, it is. He will always have it. (It's very rare for the ventricles to correct themselves, but it is slightly possible.) He'll have to have surgery about every five years for shunt replacement. You know, like an update. Sometimes things go wrong before that amount of time, but it's usually about five years and will be done through his lifetime. He'll have catscans every six months at first, and after that I'm not sure how often. When he's older, I'm assuming it won't be that often, especially if there have been no problems.

The only way we can know if something isn't working right is by how Asher is acting. If he gets out of sorts, lethargic or (excuse me) pukes, then we know something is wrong and take him in right away. (I don't know how we decipher if the puking means the flu or a shunt problem.) Other than that, Asher can have a normal life. The neurosurgeon said it's up to us to decide about sports, even saying he could play football if we're comfortable with it. He would need a special helmet with a space cut out in the foam for his shunt :) But he can knock his head just like any other boy, it just would be extra bad if he ever had a concussion. Let's just say that if he does fall in love with football, I'll probably pass out.

I mentioned this last question in another post, but another concern people have in general is if Asher's development will be normal. I believe it will. I believe that his condition was caught before any brain damage occurred. We're so thankful. He's a bright boy, follows directions, and engages in appropriate play and behavior for his age. He doesn't have a lot of words yet, but they're coming. Like I said, we're not going to worry. He seems just fine in every other way, so we'll just wait for the toddler incessant talking to begin soon. And we'll be thankful for it.

If you have any other questions, please ask in the comments or email me. I'd love to be a help to anyone going through this, or to help people understand it so they can support people in this situation. You can read more about hydrocephalus HERE.

Your thoughts and prayers pulled us through some difficult days.
So I have to say thank you once again, wishing there were words for how much we appreciate you. So many people had their friends and family that don't even know us praying for Asher. No, there aren't enough words in any language to say what that means.

THANK YOU.