Thank you all for your prayers as we have waited to hear about what was happening with Levi, our new baby boy.  We went to the doctor today and met with a specialist from Akron Children’s Hospital, Dr. Crane.  Dr. Crane was excellent and took a lot of time to explain to us what was going on.

The left ventricle of the brain is enlarged.  This is the area of the brain where the spinal fluid is produced and also coats the brain with the fluid as it develops.  A normal measurement ranges from 5 mm to 10 mm; right now Levi’s measures between 9mm and 11 mm.  This is normal, but it is at the highest end acceptable.  Everything else looks normal and healthy.  Another problem is that the part that produces the fluid is not in the proper place.  Normally it is located on the top and follows between the two hemispheres of the brain.  Levi’s is hanging off to the side; Dr. Crane used the term dangling.

They are not sure what caused either of these two things to happen, or if there is any damage to the rest of the brain.  We are waiting on a call from the doctor.  They are scheduling an appointment for us in two weeks at Akron Children’s Hospital.   There we will meet with a team of doctors that will look at what is happening and determine the next step.  They will do another ultrasound when we arrive and if the ventricle has not enlarged anymore, then this might just be a case of the normal, looking different.  They will also do an amniocentesis and a trisonomy 21 (sp?) to check for any chromosomal defects.  If the ventricle has enlarged further they will schedule an MRI to see in more detail what is happening.     They did some blood work today to see if any form of infection might have caused this to happen.  We will find out the results of this in Akron.

If they find an infection, they may be able to stop any further damage from happening using antibiotics and this is only if they catch the infection while it is active.  If it is something that has already happened there is nothing they can do.  In any of the other situations, we have to wait till birth to see what the full outcome is.  It may require delivery in Akron so that specialists are on hand in case Levi needs any immediate specialized care.   Right now they are in the process of ruling things out and trying to find out if this is having any other effects.  We will keep you updated and let you know as we learn more.  We ask for your prayers that the ventricle is not enlarged.  This seems like the next big issue.  It will determine many of the steps that follow.

It is easy to feel helpless at this point, but we also realize that we were never in control to begin with.  Psalm 121:2 reminds us that our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth, and Levi.  We appreciate your prayers and we will send you more information when we get back from Akron.