And the Doctor Says...

First of all, I have to give a big THANK YOU to the many folks who have told me "good luck" or "we're praying for you" (and an extra big thanks to the gold-hearted lady who brought us dinner tonight!).  I've had quite a few people ask me to let them know how the doctor's visit went.  If I neglect to talk to you directly, please consider this your phone call.  There are never enough hours in the day to do everything you ought to be doing, are there?

We finally got in to see the neurosurgeon today.  The holes in Angelee's skull are substantially larger now, and the doctor was concerned, but not completely surprised.  "This does happens sometimes," he said, and with his demeanor said, "but I was hoping it wouldn't."  She got a CT scan to map out the area, and a new plate will be precision-fitted to the space.  She will need another surgery to put it in, and possibly another surgery in a few years for a bigger plate.

We have a few things to think about and decide:
1) When to have the surgery, and
2) What kind of plate to have put in.

1) When.  It will take a week or two for the replacement piece to be made.  We could do the surgery then, or wait.  The doctor said we could wait six weeks to see if her own bone would grow back.  With such a large hole, however, the chances of bone filling it all in are very slim.  Her brain in basically unprotected right now, so she'll have to be very careful (and wearing her helmet) until everything is secure.

2) There are two different companies that make bone flap replacements.  The doctor said they were about the same to him.  We have the information about both, and need to do some research to choose one.

So that's our report.  Now we have some researching and deciding to go do.