Update on Timothy

Timothy had his first surgery to repair his spinal cord yesterday. The surgery went well. We had expected anywhere from 2 to 6 hours for the procedure. It was done in 3 hours. The neurosurgeon has been wonderful to work with. Timothy is currently in the Pediatric ICU, but may be moved to a progressive care unit today and possibly to the regular pediatrics ward tomorrow. If all goes well, he should be released on Saturday to come home. He is required to lay flat on his back for three days and then can get up and move about with pain as his guide. We are praying for a speedy recovery and complete healing. At this point, we are not sure about him having a second surgery. The spinal cord does split into two cords in the thoracic area, but there is no bone separating the two halves. This thrills the surgeon, who is weighing the risks of further surgery with the benefits. He would like to do another MRI while Tim is at the hospital, but that is proving difficult to schedule with anesthesiology. Timothy is in moderate pain that seems to be controlled well with the pain medications. He wants to be held and he wants to go home, neither of which are happening things right now.

We will keep you up to date as much as possible from home or the hospital.