Day 7

Early this morning we met with our neurologists who explained that they were actually going to add a new grid behind (farther back) of the existing grid and leave the existing grid in place.  They also explained more about Hannah’s specific seizure activity and prepared us for the likely hood that her resection would probably be fairly large (because there is so much onset activity in a large area).

She continued to recover more this morning.  Her facial swelling was way down, and she was very alert and talkative.  She had a chance to play a game with her cousin, and even got a visit from one of the therapy dogs.  If she wasn’t on orders not to eat or drink anything in preparation for surgery,  she probably would have eaten a meal today too.  The only thing she’s eaten since last Monday night is a few bites of apple sauce, Jell-O, and yogurt.

Visitors were plentiful today.  Enough people to surround her bed and pray for her before she headed off to surgery. 

About 12:30 they wheeled her from the PEMU area to prep for surgery.  In the prep area, we met with the neurosurgeon to discuss what exactly it was they were going to do.  He explained that he’d use the existing incision (we weren’t sure if a larger incision would have to be made).  He planned to move her existing large grid a bit more towards the front, and then place a new grid next to it but farther back.  He would need to slide it between the brain and the dura.  He was also going to remove the existing grid that was in the fissure between the hemispheres and replace it with a new larger grid, but placed farther back in the fissure.

About 1:45, she headed off to surgery.  At 5:00, the neurosurgeon came out to let us know that the surgery had gone really well and that the new grids were in place (for a total of 112 electrodes).  She didn’t have any of the “oozing” problems that she had in the previous surgeries. 

Shortly after that, we joined her in the ICU and he has been recovering nicely.  Faster than either of her two previous surgeries.  Within an hour she was awake, and asking if she could eat anything. 

We did get another visit from our neurologist tonight before he headed home.  He was talking to us about the different scenarios and what it would mean.  For example, they may or may not be able to determine a specific origination point, and that point may or may not be in the motor strip.  He stressed that we wanted to “do no harm.”  While he didn’t come out and say it yet, we’re feeling as though they’re preparing us for the likely hood that the origination of her seizures will be too close or within the motor strip for them to be able to do anything without risking loss of motor function.

We’ve stopped the anti-seizure meds again, so now we just wait again until she has more seizures. We’ll know more tomorrow, or the next day.