Night And Day Difference

The surgeon scheduled Nathan for a CT scan the day after surgery to make sure that everything was in the right place, which it was.  So that meant that we were just waiting for the effects of the shunt to "kick in" so to speak.  And that started to happen a couple of days after surgery.

By Friday, Nathan's eyes were starting to clear up and look normal again.  The shunt was also very visible now as it bulged from under his skin, which meant that his head was less swollen, also a good sign.  And with each passing day, Nathan was becoming more focused, more alert, more playful, more social, and more happy. 

In addition, he also began doing new things that he had never done before.  He had started playing with his tongue -- sticking it out and rolling it -- and had also started sticking his hand in his mouth.  In other words, he was doing things that babies do.  Which was really, really super exciting for us.  After nearly 4 months, we were starting to actually feel like we had a baby, and not just a hospital patient.

So it was obvious that the shunt was working and that it was the right choice for Nathan.  We didn't know why we had felt so uneasy about it because it was obviously such a benefit for Nathan.