Disappointment...

Dear Family and Friends,

Disappointment actually doesn’t even begin to cover what we are feeling.  They should invent a new word for feeling like you’ve had every part of your body and mind pummeled for three straight weeks.  Maybe I will come up with one but right now, I’m too tired.  Zac has to have another surgery.  The artificial patch didn’t work and he is still leaking CSF fluid.  The area that was drained has completely filled up again despite him lying on his stomach for 48 hours with a weight on his back.  Ugh.  We were given options to wait and watch or go back to surgery and have the covering of his spine (the dura) re-sutured.  Zac has opted to have the surgery.  

It will be done tomorrow.  After the surgery he will have to lie on his stomach again for another 48 hours.  After that he can get up and start moving.  After a day or two of activity he will have another MRI to evaluate if the surgery worked.  The chance of success is 80-90%.  The surgeon also mentioned possibly instituting hyperbaric chamber therapy to promote healing in Zac’s body.  I suppose this would start the day following surgery and would continue for two days.  If everything goes according to plan he could be home by the end of next week.  At that time, we would be approaching one month in the hospital.

We could really use some prayers for strength and a good outcome.  This has been an exhausting and all-consuming experience.  But we continue to have faith that there will be a benefit larger than the suffering we are feeling now.

Believe in Miracles,

The Bollinger Family