Monday, July 27, 2009

EEG

We're not sure exactly when the neurologist is going to do this test, but this is the next scary test staring at us in the face.  We really need lots of prayer for this.  If you are not aware of this situation an EEG measures brain waves for an extended period of time.  During Karsie's birth, when all of the complications and blood loss occurred, Karsie lost a lot of blood to her brain. From everything that we have been seeing, there are good signs pointing to the fact that her brain did not take a huge hit, but it did take a hit.  Last week the EEG measured something called burst suppression.  This is where during the EEG her waves measure a lot of activity for a short time followed by a much-less-than-average activity for a short time.  This was a sign that her brain took a hit and could be a reading of many severe complications.  However, this could also just be a sign that it was Karsie's first week of life and she had undergone major trauma.  In any case, the doctor has planned to do another test early this week (we're not sure if surgery will push it back) to test it again.  If it reads "normal" or at least that it is beginning to improve, it looks as though Karsie is out of the woods for any long-term brain damage. However, if it reads a burst suppression again, we are in for a long, emotional journey with her brain development.

Please keep her and the EEG test in your prayers for the next few days if you can.  She already is a testament to what prayers can do, and we are hoping for a good outcome for this as well. 

4 comments:

  1. I simply cannot fathom the anxiety that must come from waiting for this test and its results. Karsie is such a miracle and we will continue to pray for more amazing results.

    "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

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  2. AMEN to what Lori said!!! praying and praying..much love, tricia

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  3. Lord God Almighty, I come to you with karsie and her parents on my mind. Lord, i pray that you heal Karsie. Lord God please let her next set of test results to be better than the last. Lord I pray that this couple is able to hold their baby girl in their arms soon. Lord, they need that right now. They need to feel the love they all have for one another. I pray that that day come soon for all of them! Father you are the only one with the power to heal Karsie. We love you Lord and thank you for always being with us.
    Amen

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  4. All of us pray her EEG will be better this time.
    If her kidneys & gut were not severely effected, then it follows her brain was not severely effected either.
    If there were some trauma, she has the capacity to recover and repair. She is a baby, with a remarkably plastic (resiliant) brain.
    If some pathway was damaged, she is able to make a new one. Just as she is able to grow skin over Patch.
    She has a huge group of loving people praying for her...which helps enormously.
    She may end up slightly less than perfect. but then, I am not perfect, and neither are most people I know!
    Be uplifted, and be more postive about this than is recommended by the experts. They have to tell you the worst case scenario.
    You and Karsie can make it the best case scenario.
    And even if I am optimist here (Wot, me?) it can certainly be a better than you'd ever have thought scenario!
    She survived almost not surviving, and has done so remarkably well since, and has proven herself a fighter and extra special girl. She is surrounded by prayer and love. She has all the elements required to prove herself an astounding exception to any gloomy forecast.
    I advised you be realistic about her physical recovery....I stick to that. Skin & tissue grows at a certain rate....allow her time for all that.
    But her brain, and ability to function, are the things nobody can make accurate guesses about. That is where she can surprise the experts and recover amazingly well!
    So, I say, be realistic, yet optimistic, and praise God for giving babies such ability to overcome adversity!
    Much love, Jen.

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