Thursday, August 5, 2010

The MRI

It is August 5, 2010... my three month birthday!  Mommy woke me up at 3:30 a.m., but it had nothing to do with this.  It was time to eat, and it would be the last time I could eat until after my MRI later in the morning.  Around 6 a.m., she woke me up again, got me dressed, and we headed to the children's hospital.  Two hours later, the nurses took me to my destination.  They put me to sleep with a little mask filled with a gas anesthesia, and I handled it very well.  I was out for about two hours and when I woke up, I felt pretty good.  I was STARVING though!  Had myself a nice breakfast and went back to sleep.

Ok, that was the easy part.  Waiting was the hard part.  We are so very lucky to have a doctor that really cares about me, and she went out of her way to get the results to mommy and daddy before the written report comes out tomorrow.  So here are the results... the radiologist found one spot on my brain.  According to the doctor, it is "very small and very faint," and it is in or on the amygdala.

What does this mean?  Well, first and foremost, I suppose it means I have Neurocutaneous Melanocytosis (NCM).  That is what they call it when the kind of pigment and/or cells that form(s) a nevus end up on the brain or spine.  While this can be very serious, I am still very fortunate because it appears that what I have is the asymptomatic version of NCM.  The doctor said the spot is not pressing on anything or blocking anything, and because of this and its location, I should never develop symptoms or have any problems.  I will need to see a neurologist to verify this prognosis, but we've already had a second opinion from our surgeon in Chicago, and he agrees that we should not worry about this spot.

All in all, this is good news. Our wonderful doctor is working hard to find us a neurologist who knows about NCM, and to get us an appointment right away.  So, while this is not the result we were all hoping for, it is the next best.  Thank you to everyone who sent happy thoughts and prayers.  I am so lucky to have all of this love in my life.  

4 comments:

  1. This sounds like great news Joshua. Keep up the good work.

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  2. God has Joshua all wrapped up in his arms and no matter where his spots may be or how many he has, nothing can stop HIS power to heal and protect his precious son, Joshua. Your baby is in very good hands...both earthly (YOU) and from above.
    Love, The Nagel's

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  3. Grandma told us all about the MRI. Your sister came to visit our office while you were still at the hospital having your MRI. I'm glad that the spot you have is not in an area that is likely to cause serious problems. You are a very brave boy!

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