Good news!

I haven't updated since Lucy's appointments last week. I was waiting for today when we would have more information and thankfully we have good news. First off, her MRI and CT scan last week went really well. She handled the sedation just fine and didn't have any problems. Her CT scan was just a routine recheck of her head partly because she was premature. Everything looked fine on that scan. Last August I noticed Lucy had a little dimple right above her bum and we had it checked out by her pediatrician. It is called a sacral dimple and apparently they are very common but most people don't know they have one. It's not a preemie thing, just a random thing that develops in utero. Anyway, we were told last summer Lucy would eventually need an MRI to further investigate the dimple. The findings from last week indicated that she does have a small piece of fatty tissue at the base of her spinal column. More often than not this doesn't cause a problem but sometimes into adulthood it may cause pain in the lower back and possible bladder problems. We knew the tethering might be a possibility and had become somewhat informed on the symptoms and treatment of tethering. Last week after the MRI we were told that surgery is usually performed to snip the tethered tissue and then it becomes a non-issue and Lucy could carry on normally. We were preparing for that protocol and had our appointment with a neurosurgeon at Primary Children's today. Blake and I were both prepared for surgery (it is low-risk) but nonetheless would prefer our bug girl not have to go through surgery and a few days in the hospital. Well, to our amazement, the neurosurgeon said Lucy does not need surgery at this point! He said he will see her every six months to make sure things still look good and he said it's very possible she will never have any problems with this in her life. If it ever does become an issue we obviously will go forward and have the surgery and any symptoms or problems from the tethering will reverse. This was such a shock to both of us and we are so happy for this news! We're very confident with her doctor and we know she will be closely watched so we feel this is such a good outcome. We understand down the road it may be in her best interest to operate but for now, no thanks!


I know all of this reads very jumbled but I'm just so excited and relieved. Ever since Lucy has been home from the hospital this has been the only real concern and now to know our status is such a relief. Again, we are so blessed and so grateful. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Thanks to my friends at work and to my mom who have let me "talk this out" so many times. I'm not a very strong person if not for the strength of those around me.

"just let me hang out in my teacup, please"