Post-Op MRI

We finally had our post-op MRI two days ago at NYU. Millie was (sadly) under full anesthesia in order to get a special motion-imaging scan done that will show us if her spinal cord is freely moving about now (which it is supposed to be doing). Those results are still being processed, but luckily we were able to meet with her Neuro-surgeon in his office right after the MRI and see the still pictures. He says her scar is healing beautifully, and the scar tissue in the scan looks great. He even pointed out the part in her back where he "opened the bone like a book" to get to the spinal cord. Unreal.

So, the motion-imaging will either give us good results or be inconclusive. The fluid at the base of her spine is still there (bad news), but that will be monitored with yearly MRIs from here-on-out. We have more specialists to meet with in the mean time, but luckily we can do that here in northern Westchester with referrals from her pediatrician.  Even though Millie has started walking, the nurse was quick to remind us that the outward signs of mobility don't necessarily mean that no nerve damage has been done.

We are just trying to take this all as it comes and remain realistic and open-minded, but in our hearts Brady and I feel like the worst is over and our sweet lamb will be ok. From the very beginning we just *knew* that we were heading for surgery and even though it was hard to believe, we made peace with it. Certainly there are many more people with worse situations, which we are reminded of at these appointments when we see children with stitches in their skulls being brought about in wheelchairs by their parents. We are lucky that Millie has no neurological damage, we are lucky that our pediatrician caught this early, we are lucky to have access to major city doctors at the top of their fields.  Not a day has gone by since our sweet baby was born that we don't tell each other how lucky we are to have such a wonderful girl.  We say all the time that in our wildest dreams we couldn't have imagined a more perfect, beautiful, loving girl. We tell her all the time that if we could pick from all the babies in the whole world, we would pick her a million times over.

This is starting to get mushy, so how about some pictures? Brady and I do like to take photos during her recovery (just to remember the moment), but I decided not to post them because they're a bit grim and it seems like a little violation of her privacy. Anyways, here are some happy ones :)

Daddy and Millie playing with the swivel chair while waiting for her MRI, silly wallpaper in Dr. Wisoff's exam room, and the Miracle Man himself!!!