Moving Along

Just got word today that Madison's medical records were received by Johns Hopkins and they have already been faxed over to Dr. Carson's office. Our extremely kind Medical Concierge, Joyce, said we should hear from his office in the next 10-14 days. Now if we can just get Tricare to approve the second opinion. They are giving us a hard time because Dr. Carson is in the Tricare North region and we live in the South region. He accepts Tricare, so who cares what region he is in?? They make things so difficult! Maddie's pediatrician has been working on getting it all worked out. It is possible, we just have to do it the Tricare way! Thank you to everyone that has offered to help out. All of your kind words and offers are greatly appreciated.

Lots of Love......

Not So Bad

So, today I went to Wilford Hall to tackle getting all of Madison's records and films. IT WAS SUPER EASY!! No waiting for them to be sent. Went to Patient Records and they just printed them off right there! I then made it to Radiology and got 2 DVDs made. Waiting for those took the longest. A whoppin' 30 minutes!! The best part of the day was getting to have lunch in the Cafeteria with some fun friends. It is always delicious and you can't beat lunch for $2.25. When I got home I called the Neurosurgeon's office to request a copy of the notes from her appointment. They were so kind about it and will be sending them out today. So, I should have everything ready to be sent to Maryland by Monday. I will leave you with a little sunshine on this nasty, rainy day (well if you are in San Antonio)!

Change

There is bound to be change in our lives, and of course we all like the "good" change, but sometimes we must accept the bad and remember that in the end we will have grown stronger. Madison's Neurosurgery appointment that was scheduled for today has been changed to May 27. This change is not good for my nerves, but there is a reason for everything. Dr. Mancuso had to squeeze in a surgery for a little boy or girl that needed her. Needed her to help heal them and if that means changing Madison's appointment that of course is what we would want.

Good things are happening around here!!! It is with much thought, prayer and consideration that we have decided to get a second opinion for Madison. We absolutely, 100% trust Dr. Mancuso's opinion, but for the justice of our daughter we want to be certain that the decision we have to make is correct. After alot of research on my part we have decided to try and go see Dr. Ben Carson at Johns Hopkins. I say try because we are still trying to work out the fine print. Insurance, getting copies of records etc....

At a young age my aunt gave me a copy of the book, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. An inner-city kid that struggled with anger amongst many other challenges and rose to be the youngest ever Director of a medical department at Johns Hopkins. At age 33, Dr. Ben Carson became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery. I was so drawn to this book but didn't know why. I didn't want to be a Neurosurgeon. Sure I love medical stuff, and will one day be a nurse, but not a Neurosurgeon. So why did I feel such a connection at the young age of 13? Somethings we never know, but now; almost 20 years later, I know why God put that on my heart. He knew one day I might need Dr. Ben Carson. Even if it doesn't work out that we get to see him personally, I know we will be guided in the right direction and it will be God's will.

Please pray that this process goes smoothly for us. I will be doing alot of running around getting medical records etc. Also, if this gets approved that means that we will have to travel to Maryland. The travel is not something that Tricare will pay for so we might being eating Ramen Noodles for a bit!! All kidding aside; I know.....God will provide!!

Good News!

I got the report back from Madison's latest MRI and from what I can interpret, it looks like good news! No damage has been caused to her spine from the Chiari. We will meet with the Neurosurgeon on May 11 to get more information on her surgery and possibly a date. I'm thinking a doctor's appointment is in the works for me as my nerves are not doing so well, but keeping my chin up!! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Faith

So tonight at 6:45pm Madison will have an MRI of her spine. They told me to be prepared for it to take an hour and a half! I have faith that Madison will do well. I went this morning and bought her "Hannah Montana The Movie". She has seen it once before but it is not one that we own, so hopefully it will keep her attention. I am not as nervous or anxious this time since she did so well last time and they let me be in the room with her. This time I will go prepared with some reading materials to keep me busy. I am glad to get this over with but that means it brings us closer to her next Neurosurgery appointment which I am still very nervous about. This next appointment will be more concrete; more real and that scares me! But I do know that God knows the outcome and THAT I have faith in!

Nothing Much

Not much new to report... Madison has been doing very well. Just one headache this week. We found out she will have the MRI of her spine on April 30 at 6:45pm. They told me this one would last about 1.5 hours but they allotted 2 hours just in case. Her head MRI was about 45 minutes and she did so good. I did not know that I would be allowed back in the room with her, so I was bored out of my mind. This time I will bring a crossword puzzle or a book! Her last MRI I bought her Princess and the Frog for her to watch during the MRI. It was her very first time watching it so it really kept her interested. If anyone knows of any good movies coming out before April 30 let me know!!

Surgery

Madison has to have surgery for her Chiari Malformation. We know it is the best thing for her. We would rather her suffer through the surgery and recovery than for the rest of her life. We are trying to understand it all. Madison does not really know yet, but we will tell her when the time is right. She has to have some more MRIs before the surgery. We might have to wait until school is out because she has already missed too much school. Madison will be having her surgery here in San Antonio. The pediatric neurosurgeon that she saw is wonderful and we completely trust her. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Please continue to pray for us.