Final pre-op stuff

Okay, it gets real. Here is Erika's beautiful hair and head before it all.



Here is the deal. They shaved 3 areas on Erika's head and placed markers on them, as well as several other markers all around her head. These were used to triangulate the exact location of the tumor for the surgery tomorrow. She had another MRI late tonight with contrast and the tumor was very clear, which is good. This technique helps them to clearly identify in 3D the exact location of the tumor.

Here is the Darth Maul look. It's all the rage, and we're trying to get a few more to use at home with some red and black face paint.

Weird and scary: Craniotomy, anti-seizure medication, loss of speech, Spinal Fluid leakage, blood clot, aphasia

The neurosurgeon came in tonight and so did another anesthesiologist. They gave us the run down of all the risks involved with the surgery, which were very scary actually. But, we also got some really good vibes tonight as well. One of the doctors that works with the neurosurgeon - Dr. Karikari mentioned that Dr. Friedman is world renowned and that he has recently done workups on people that have flown to Duke to have brain operation performed by Dr. Friedman from Saudi Arabia, Wisconsin, and a few other places around the world. Also, Kim Brantley called from the Holly Springs Ward and turns out that Dr. Friedman was one of the doctors involved in Aaron's surgery and she couldn't stop describing how wonderful and talented he was. So, that was uplifting.

*The surgery is at 7:30 am. We'll leave the room at 6:15 and I'll go with Erika down to the pre-surgery area. Then, they'll give me a beeper to call me when they can come out and tell me how things are going. She'll be sedated and out while they start the surgery. They will wake her up when they are ready to begin the brain operation and they will stimulate parts of the brain near the tumor with electric impulses while she is talking to the doctors and anesthesiologist. That way, they will make sure that they don't remove any critical brain areas. When, they are all done, they will put her back under and stitch her up. Absolutely best case scenario - the surgery will take about 3 hours, but it could be quite variable. And, I'll be at the mercy of the doctors to keep updated.

We're a bit scared, and anxious to have it all done. Thanks so much everyone for being so thoughtful and for all of your prayers and concern. Will post more tomorrow.

Rich