Abby is out of surgery and in the PICU. Her pain seems to be well managed and she is pretty calm. She can't tolerate sitting up yet, but she wants to watch cartoons. Matt is holding the iPad over her head for her!
The brace is connected to the halo in the front and the back by a bar. The straps are pretty tight, so she really can't move her head at all. Her throat is sore from the intubation, so she isn't talking. We are communicating through sign language and yes/no cards for now!
The surgery went well and he was able to switch out everything he needed to. Several of the screws were loose and everything was close to the surface, so hopefully this will work better.
The nerve specialist monitoring her function did notice almost immediately that her nerve functioning had changed since the last surgery and was affecting her legs (as we have seen!). Unfortunately, that didn't improve after he moved the hardware. This also explains the bladder issues. It appears to be permanent, so it's officially a spinal chord injury and allows us to get access to a great outpatient program at Kennedy Krieger in addition to the inpatient rehab. We are hopeful that they can help improve her functioning.
The rest of my night will most likely be attending to my girl. Thanks for praying!
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