Last Saturday, February 12th we had a wonderful birthday party for Gemma surrounded by our friends and family. Today is Gemma's actual birthday, February 18th, however it is also unfortunately the day that Gemma is scheduled to go in for her VP shunt surgery.
Due to Gemma's Hydrocephalus ('fluid on the brain') caused by her brain bleed at birth, it is necessary to insert a shunt system that will drain this fluid as Gemma's brain is unable to fully drain this fluid on its own. (I guess you can think of it as a bit of a blocked pipe). Once someone with Hydrocephalus receives a shunt it is normally permanent as the brain 'gets used' to having the shunt in place to assist with the fluid.
It is a very scary day for all of us but we have been told by everyone that it needs to be done so that Gemma doesn't continue to have intracranial pressure, which can be extremely serious, and that is likely causing her continued emesis and possible headaches.
We wish our daughter a safe, speedy recovery.
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