Huge update from Lauren: Josiah was taken in for a followup a week and a half ago, and the pediatrician was pleased with everything that he had been hospitalized for: his weight gain, level of activity, and ability to feed all continue to develop normally. However, he was concerned about the abnormal shape of Josiahs head, and sent us to a neurosurgeon, who sent us for CT scans, and confirmed what the pediatrician had thought- part of Josiahs skull fused too early, which is called craniosynostosis. He has the most common form (sagittal, which means the suture, or gap, that runs from the top of his head vertically down the back, fused together sometime in the womb) and it is still mild. However, the early it is treated the better, while his skull is still so soft. The skull must be opened up again so that his brain will be able to grow and develop normally, and his head will grow in a normal shape. There are a couple of different surgeries that can treat it, so after talking to the doctors here, and a doctor in Vancouver, we have decided to take Josiah to Canada for the surgery and recovery. We leave on November 11th for Justins familys home, and will begin meeting with the doctor at Vancouver Childrens Hospital immediately, so we can begin to discuss which surgery is best, and figure out timing. This has been a devastating blow to us, as we were so happy to finally be back home with a healthy baby, only to find out we have surgery and months of recovery ahead of us. We are also heartbroken to be living Nepal already, uncertain of how long we must be gone. Recovery can vary from a few months to a year, depending on the child and if he must wear a helmet afterwards. However, we are so grateful that we will be able to do all of this back in North America surrounded by family and a western medical system. We believe this is just a detour from our life in Nepal, and that God is giving us this opportunity to make Josiah our priority and ministry, and time to get him completely healthy before we return to Kathmandu. The fusion doesnt seem to effect Josiah at all right now, he is happy, alert, developing, and healthy other than his head growing in a bit of a boat shape in the back. Please be praying for us as we prepare to leave, pack our belongings, and travel for 31 hours with a two month old! We also ask for prayers for peace and comfort for us as new parents, wisdom for the doctor and surgeons who will decide how to treat Josiah, and grace over Josiah in all of this upheaval and new environments.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 09:53:20 +0000
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