Brett's Craniosynostosis Surgery

Brett was now two days shy of nine months. Still being breastfed, mom woke him up at 3 a.m. to feed him since he could not have any breastmilk for four hours before surgery. We arrived at Medical City Dallas hospital around 6 a.m. to check-in and to get Brett prepped for surgery. That morning, Brett was in such a happy mood. It broke our hearts that soon he would be taken away from us and he had no idea what was about to happen. In order to avoid a future surgery down the road; we also decided to have Brett’s extra pinky fingers and pinky toe removed. They were not of any use to him since he could not move his extra fingers.

About an hour before surgery, the nurse gave him some purple “goofy juice” which basically calmed Brett down before we took him to receive the anthesesia. Then, mommy carried her son in her arms while daddy and nurse followed as we walked him down to the surgery room. We met with all his doctors and then mommy tearfully handed Brett to the anthesesiologist. This was a very painful moment since Brett was crying and we had to walk away. While confident in the doctors we had chosen; we couldn’t help but think what if it was the last time we saw our son.

We waited five long hours. The nurse in surgery was very kind to call us in the waiting room to give us updates on how Brett was doing throughout the surgery. Every time the waiting room phone rang, our heart skipped a beat. Finally, surgery was over and Dr. Fearon and Dr. Bruce came out and told us Brett did fine and he was in the recovery room. Wonderful news! We were on our way to see him.

Dr. Fearon warned us that Brett was already swelling and even though he told us what to expect, we were not mentally prepared to see our son look so helpless and beat up. We were taken away when we walked into the ICU room and saw Brett hooked up to several monitors. The nurses also had his hands tied down so he couldn’t pull his cords out. His head was getting very big and it had an alien shaped look. That sounds terrible, but it’s the easiest way to describe it.

Incredibly, he did not have any bandages on his head and had small band-aids on each removed pinky finger. The nurse may have sensed mom was ready to break down because she immediately began telling us what all the wires were for and we were then able to compose ourselves and remember we must be brave and strong for Brett. We had never seen Brett so relaxed, since he usually kept his legs and arms so stiff and bent. He looked so big in the hospital bed all stretched out. Then, at of the sudden, Brett rose up, with hands still tied and cried out and the nurse quickly gave him a painkiller and Brett fell asleep once again. It is amazing how much pain you can feel for your child and even though we knew he was in the best of hands, we would have loved to scoop Brett up and take him home.

It was doctor’s orders to keep a soothing music tape playing for our son. In addition, to helping Brett feel like everyone was right there with him, we made a tape of family members talking and singing to Brett. Lauren sang her favorite Shania Twain song to him. This probably made Brett very happy to hear her voice since he adores his sister and she was still unable to visit her brother while he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

His head was cut in a wave-like pattern from ear to ear along the top of his head. Other doctors make the cut straight across, but our surgeon discovered a wave pattern enables the hair to grow in more naturally and the skin and skull heal better. Now this cut is almost routine by other doctors.

DAY 2: We were told he would reach his peak swelling today. Dr. Fearon’s nurse, Cindy Podner, who so helpful and caring, called his ears their “swell detector” test. His ears literally stuck straight out to the side by the end of the day and we knew Brett was at his swelling peak. Brett’s poor eyes remained black and blue, and shut. We learned that the plastic surgeon also put a small bone in Brett’s nose between his eyes, so he wouldn’t have a flat, nasal bridge look. This also contributed to his eyes swelling so much.

DAY 3: Brett’s eyes were still swollen shut, but the overall swelling was beginning to go down. He was moved out of ICU and into his own room. Finally, two year old sister, Lauren, got a chance to see her brother. She was very concerned as to where he was the past few days. We kept telling her Brett had a boo-boo, but he would be better soon. We were worried the swelling, scar, and the color of Brett’s eyelids would scare her. She was very loving and “motherly” when she saw Brett. She kissed him on the forehead and told him he would be o.k. This was also the first night mommy got to put Brett in her arms and sleep with him in the cot. He seemed to enjoy that. It was hard to believe how heavy his head weighed. It probably weighed an extra five pounds.

DAY 4: Brett finally got to go home!!! Mommy and Daddy were nervous about taking him home with his eyes still swollen shut, but the doctor and nurse kept reassuring us that they would open within 5 to 7 days. Brett was much happier at home. He loved taking naps on his Granny’s lap!

DAY 5: Brett’s scar is healing great! We also have to wash his scar and scalp once daily. Even still, the iodine is still present on his head. Mommy always got nervous washing his head, afraid he would hurt his scar, but it never seemed to bother him. He was such a trooper! Yes, his eyes are still shut.

DAY 6: Hurray! Brett could finally open his eyes a little. He was so happy to finally be able to see again. He was waving to everyone as if to say, “I’m back!” He was returning to his normal, happy self. Also, the extra pinky fingers that were removed from his hands were healing just fine!

DAY 7: Brett’s head was still “puffy and squishy” but Brett looked better each day. We were very excited about how much better his head was beginning to look than pre-surgery.

DAY 8: Brett’s eyes finally opened the moment he woke up (before it took a while for them to open just a little after he slept).

2 WEEKS POST OP: We flew Brett back home to Las Vegas and luckily, he did just fine on the airplane. We were unsure of what to expect with the swelling still present. It took us a while to adjust to the many stares from strangers who wondered what happened to our son. His eyes still had dark rings underneath them, and the dark circles slowly faded after four months (yes, months). Brett was as happy as can be and we were amazed how great he looked and how much better he felt two weeks after surgery. He seemed to be a much happier little boy!