CT Scan Con't.

Well, we spent a really long day down at the hospital getting blood work done and handing in urine samples (have you ever tried getting a urine sample from a one year old?!). Sheesh!

Joshua was very brave. They tried for an hour to get enough blood before they decided to give up for the day. The hematologist didn't quite know what to put as the diagnosis for the "bump". He sent us upstairs to a cranial surgeon who consulted with a neurosurgeon and all experts agreed that because the "bump" had gone through so much of skull, it needed to come out. Once it's out, then it will be examined and tested until finally we can put a name to it. Joshua will be having surgery on Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. I am grateful that all doctors have been so cooperative and are working quickly to get this resolved.

Although I am nervous about putting Joshua completely out for the operation, the surgeons seemed rather confident that the surgery would be quick and easy. Because the "bump" is soooo close to the brain, the neurosurgeon will be doing the operation alongside the cranial surgeon. That also made me feel better. If it's a dermatoid cyst, no other treatment will be necessary after removal. If it is an eosinophilic granuloma tumor, then Joshua will need to be scanned all over his body to make sure that no other tumors are growing. If he has other tumors, then he will be treated with chemotherapy. Stage one and two of these types of tumors are typically taken care of without any trouble, stage three and four require more attention but even then 70 percent of the patients respond well and are able to survive. Our doctor does not believe Joshua to have stage 3 or 4 even if it is this type of tumor (because most kids in these stages are very sick--Joshua is very healthy). Regardless of what it is, Joshua will have part of his skull removed and a temporary plate will be put it place while his bone grows back together. Because he is so young, his bones are still growing so rapidly, so he won't need a permanent plate. The plate that will be put in will dissolve in 6 months or so. So, that's great news! So, surgery isn't fun and it does cause me a bit of concern, but at least we caught it early... hopefully this surgery is all he needs! Thanks for your prayers, keep them coming!