Aqueductal Stenosis

Yesterday I had another ultrasound.

I don't know where to start.

It wasn't good. The doctor confirmed that the baby does have hydrocephalus. We had seen this on the last ultrasound, but it's gotten worse. She has a type called Aqueductal Stenosis which means that there is a blockage within her brain causing a buildup of the Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF). This causes the ventricles to enlarge and puts pressure on her brain tissue. Since the bones in her skull aren't fused together yet, it can also cause her head to grow larger and be out of proportion to her body. It hasn't significantly increased in size yet, though, and that's not really a good thing. If her head was expanding, it would decrease the pressure on her brain tissue.

There can be some mental retardation associated with this, but the degree varies so much that they can't tell me anything now. I'm being referred to a hospital down in San Antonio so that I can meet with a new Maternal Fetal Physicial and a Pediatric Neurosurgeon. I'll deliver down there and the baby will have surgery within a few days after being born. She'll have a shunt placed to drain the excess fluid, and hopefully that will reduce the swelling and be a good fix.

I wish I knew more to tell you all. There are a lot of unknowns and I really don't know what is going to happen. My doctor did start a red cross message asking Ben's command to send him home asap so that he can meet with the doctors also and to help take some stress off of me.