Helmet What...Helmet Who?!?!?

THE HELMET IS GONE!!!!!! We received the WONDERFUL news today at Brayden's follow up with the neurosurgeon. Today was the 3 month post-op check up with Dr. Marchand. He walked into the office, looked at his head and said "I don't think he needs that helmet anymore." To which I replied, "REALLY!!!!" So we waited to have his head measured and the numbers don't lie. His head shape is within 'normal' range. Yay for Brayden!!!! I couldn't be happier. With the weather getting warmer and warmer it was becoming such a struggle seeing Brayden roast in his little helmet. The overwhelming relief that Brent and I feel right now is indescribable! Thank you everyone for your support, understanding, and keeping us in your thoughts these last few months. We will continue to see the neurosurgeon for check up's but as of now he is progressing right on track and doing great. Way to go little buddy!

3 months Post Op

Night before surgery

3 months Post Op (Side View)

Night before surgery (Side View)

What a difference!

New Head Gear!

So here it is, the new gear that will be part of Brayden for the next 9 months or so. Pretty much just shows us how handsome he'll look when he's a football player! He'll have to wear the helmet for 23 hours a day. Right now he'll ease into it throughout the next week starting at an hour at a time and at the end of the week he will be in it the 23 hours. Easing it into his life should make the transition easier for the little guy.

Last week Brayden got his staples removed and that is when they fitted him for the helmet. Thankfully the day they removed the staples was the same night that Brayden slept through the night again, woo hoo! So glad to say that the routine is back on track and that all in the Duncan household are getting good nights sleep (with the exception of the stomach flu that struck over the weekend. Poor Keely got it on Friday and then it hit Brent and I on Monday. Thankfully everyone is doing MUCH better.)

Keely also got a helmet from her Nana and Pop Pop so she could have one of her own. Nana and Pop Pop thought it would help Keely with the transition of her brother's helmet by letting her have her own so when she asks about his she can wear one too, thank you Nana and Pop Pop!

Future NY Giant's QB!

Keely strutting head gear too!

Happy Boy!

Well as you can see little Brayden is doing just fine. He is pretty much back to his old self. He is rolling over, kicking about, cooing, and cracking us up with his hysterical laugh. One area still needing some improvement is sleep. The one area that is still not quite back to the way it was before surgery. He was sleeping through the night and life was so sweet, but now he's back to waking up once or twice needing his pacifier and then up at 5. I know this is just a minor setback and we're barely at a week post surgery so I'm very hopeful that we'll be back in the old routine in no time. But I really can't complain because when I see that sweet, happy face and know what he went through just last week it's really hard to believe how good he is doing. I was told how surprised you'd be that at this young how quick they bounce back and recover but until you see it you really don't believe it. His swelling is all gone and there is definitely a difference in the shape of his head. I just can't imagine what it will look like once he starts to wear his helmet!

Side view.

That smile is worth a million bucks!

The Incision

Here is a slideshow with some pictures of Brayden before the surgery and pics of the incision on his head. I put these in the slideshow because the photos of the incision may be hard for some people to see. So I wanted to give a warning in case some of you don't want to see it. As mentioned I also put some before pictures from the night before. It's not as easy to see in photos as it was in person, but you may notice that his forehead was starting to bulge forward and looking a little bigger.

Brayden has 29 staples in his head. Last night he slept well after a nice bath to freshen up after being in the hospital for several days. Today we're back on our normal routine. He seems to be feeling much better and the puffiness is continuing to go down.

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We're Home!

Oh how good it feels to be home! This morning the Nurse Practitioner came in to remove Brayden's dressings and inform us that we would be discharged today. It was a bit more shocking to see him with his dressings off his head. His head is pretty swollen and the incision is rather large. Just breaks our hearts to see him in pain and discomfort.

We finally left the hospital today about 11:30. The car ride wasn't the most fun, but I think Brayden was so relieved when we got home. After eating and walking around a bit I put him down in his bed for a little nap. He is sleeping so comfortably!

Keely is staying with my parents for at least one more night so we can settle in at home with Brayden and try to get some rest after the hospital stay. I hope that through the night the swelling continues to go down and Brayden's spirits continue to get better.

We'll go back next week for the post-op appointment. There they will remove Brayden's staples from his head and meet with the doc who will fit him for his helmet.

We will be so relieved when this hump is over. I imagine this upcoming week will be a little tough, but Brayden is strong and tough and I know he'll come through. Seeing him go through all of this is hard for Brent and I, questioning whether or not we made the right decision or not. I know we just have to trust that this is best for him and that he'll come out better than ever. Again, thank you for all the support and thoughts. It helps so much knowing so many are thinking about Brayden and pulling for him. Thanks again!

Vitals, Vitals, Vitals!

Brayden sleeping after surgery.

Today hanging out with Daddy.

Ugh! So I know that it's necessary to check on patients and ensure everything is going well and for that reason I'm not complaining, just making a statement. Checking vitals every 2 hours means no rest for anyone. But I'm so thankful that Brayden is getting thorough care and that he is doing EXCELLENT! Last night they gave him another dose of morphine since he seemed uncomfortable. He ate at 6 and 9 then slept through the night (with the exception of the vital checks) until I woke him at 6 to eat again. Today he's been doing great. He is more alert and even showed a glimpse of his little personality giving us some smiles and even a little laugh. We're told what a strong little guy we have. Being so alert and opening his eyes is a big step. Several nurses have stated that most cranio kids have their eyes swollen shut for the first day or two. This just reminds us what a strong and healthy boy Brayden is. We moved from the PICU to the Pediatric Specialty Care Unit which is a great sign on our way to recovery! We're hopeful to be discharged tomorrow if all continues to go well. Tomorrow is when they'll remove his dressings and when we get a first look at his incision. Until then, hoping for another good night and continued thoughts with him for his recovery! Thank you again everyone for your thoughts with our little guy!

Update

Whew! What a LONG day. First off, Brayden's surgery went great. Everything went smoothly and pretty much perfect. The doctor was very pleased with how well Brayden did and how smooth surgery was.

Last night was a long night for me. I'm pretty sure I got all of about 2 hours of sleep. I woke Brayden up at 1:30am for his final feed before surgery. Then at 5:15am we woke him up and put him straight in the car seat. He woke up but was (surprisingly) content for the drive to the hospital. We arrived at UNMH at 6am to check-in. We were called back around 6:30 where we were briefed on the surgery and met with the team that would be with Brayden during surgery. All throughout this time Brayden was in cheerful spirits. He was laughing, smiling, kicking, and playing. This was a huge help to relieve some stress that Brent and I were feeling. In between he did fall asleep in our arms for brief periods of time. He only became fussy when they had to draw blood, but I would too if I woke up to being poked by a needle! Finally at 8:00am they came to take Brayden from us. We gave him sweet little kisses, told him how much we loved him and off he went. I think it was at that moment that I broke down into Brent's arms.

Around 10am we were called to wait outside the Pediatric ICU where we would be able to see our little guy. He looked really good, much better than I anticipated or pictured. He was a little fussy but a small dose of morphine helped ease his pain.

Since then we've just been hanging out and letting him rest. He's hooked up to all sorts of machines with IV's and monitors ect... It seems the IV is causing him the most discomfort. He's still waking up from the anesthesia so he hasn't really been eating. A short while ago the Doctor came in to check on him and stated he expected him to be really waking up here around 6pm or so and that I would probably be in for another long night where he'll be catching up on meals.

He's a big, strong guy and expected to have a quick recovery. We're expecting to be here at least till Wednesday. I'll be staying the night with him tonight and Brent will go home since only one parent can stay the night.

When we have more news we will continue to update on his recovery process. Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and prayers! We are so thankful for everyone who has been there for support. We love you all!

Craniosynostosis

About two weeks ago we had Brayden's 2 month well-baby appointment. While we were there our pediatrician noticed that their was something going on with the shape of Brayden's head. What he was noticing was that the front of his head showed a rather large bulge coming out of his forehead. The second thing he noticed was that he could not find his soft spot. He was concerned that Brayden could have craniosynostosis. This is a condition in which one or more of the skull sutures closes prematurely leaving little room for the brain to grow and causes the head to have an abnormal shape. So he sent Brayden to have x-rays and the results showed that the saggital suture had fused together.

The next step was to meet with the neurosurgeon. Today we met with the pediatric neurosurgeon at UNM Hospital. Basically, the way to fix the deformity is with surgery. What the neurosurgeon does is opens the skull and removes part of the bone so that the brain is given room to grow. This surgery takes about 30 minutes (2 hours with prep, ect...) and about 2 days in the PICU. After surgery Brayden will be fitted for a helmet that he will wear for about 6 months-1 year to help re-shape his head.

Brayden's surgery is scheduled for January 4th. We are grateful that I have family that is close by and able to help out. They will watch Keely for us so Brent and I can both stay in the hospital with Brayden and help when we come home. Brent's folks will be back out in February to check on the little guy and spend some more time with the family. We are so grateful for the many family and friends we have around us for support. When we first heard the news that we were looking at surgery on our little baby's head it was a bit of a shock. We've been doing lots of research and reading these past few weeks to have time to process what was about to happen and deal with all the emotions that come with it.

The bad news of course is that he is having surgery and he will be put under. The good news is that this actually isn't that uncommon of a procedure and that the recovery is rather quick. Brayden is a healthy boy (about 15 lbs) which should help him bounce back to his happy little self. We are confident with our doctor that our little Brayden is in good hands. We are thankful that we have a thorough doctor who went ahead and followed through with his concerns instead of waiting several more months to see what would come out of it. We are also thankful that Brayden is not in any pain, this isn't affecting his brain growth and he is continuing to do everything he should be doing.

We will keep everyone posted throughout each step as we go. Next Tuesday we go back for Pre-Op. Brayden will have some blood work done and meet with the anesthesiologist. The following Monday will be the surgery. For now we need your thoughts to be with our family. Although this is a fairly common surgery, it is still surgery and on his head at that. And of course like any other, there are always risks involved. We are confidant with our doctor and hopeful for a great outcome for our little Brayden.