Chase is in the Hospital with a "Healing Crisis"
Over the past few days, Chase developed an acute case of Stridor – a raspy snoring noise as he breathes, which became much worse as he sleeps. We took him to see and ENT specialist this past week, who determined that his airway was fine and his lungs sounded good, but the pressure on his nerves has resulted in paralysis of one of his vocal cords. This combined with his large tonsils and adenoids seemed to contribute to the stridor and the ENT doctor wasn’t too concerned about it – he felt it was essentially a “nuisance” at this point.
After the last MRI, the Radiologist also mentioned that he saw some hydrocephalus (fluid backing up in upper areas of the brain). This is apparently due once again to the pressure in the brainstem area, constricting the normal flow of spinal fluid. He described it as stepping on a hose (constricting the flow) and thus some of the fluid that would normally drain into the spinal cord is collecting in other areas of the brain, causing additional cranial pressure. He felt that we might get some relief from some of cranial pressure by having a shunt inserted into his neck to allow more free flow of the fluid. We were continuing to evaluate this option although his physical therapist (who is also an energy healer) felt that the symptoms weren’t acute (nausea, headaches, seizures, etc.) and that we might continue to work with his body to alleviate the pressure by slowly shifting the plates in his skull to stimulate the flow of his spinal fluid.
However, his breathing over the past couple of nights was more even labored, which was quite concerning and last night he vomited several times from 3-6 am. He was also quite lethargic yesterday evening and less responsive this morning (particularly after the bouts of nausea). We got quite concerned and checked with his doctor from the Burzynski Clinic, who recommended that we call emergency paramedics, which we did this morning and he was taken to ER. They were concerned that Chase might have aspirated a bit from some of his difficulty swallowing which could have resulted in fluid accumulating in his lungs.
He ended up being admitted at Beaumont this morning and they did a battery of tests. The chest X-ray showed the possibility of a small amount of fluid in his right lung, although not too concerning (he’s taking some antibiotics for this, just in case). Chase’s heart rate was irregular, with several dips to very low levels intermittently. They did a quick CT scan of the brain again, to check the status of the hydrocephalus. It did appear to be a concern and they conducted a quick procedure to insert a temporary shunt to monitor how much pressure was alleviated. This immediately regulated his breathing and heart rate and they are evaluating further the possibility of implanting a permanent shunt, after they see his condition over the next day or two. In some ways, this urgent procedure is enabling us to do what we were considering anyhow, in a much more rapid way with less inconvenience, since the ER crew was able to rush through all the steps that we otherwise would’ve had to schedule over several days.
The CT Scan once again showed large pockets of necrosis, which the Neurosurgeon thought almost looked like cysts containing either fluid or possibly just air at this point (they seem to be even larger than they were in the last MRI, which is pretty good news). He wants to consult with his colleagues about options that could further alleviate the cranial pressure by somehow opening the cysts (although this would require another craniotomy, which we would certainly like to avoid). All indications are that this tumor is indeed breaking down; however, until it actually shrinks, the pressure that is building-up is extremely concerning since it is affecting Chase’s vitals. This is essentially the “healing crisis” – the tumor is breaking down at a rate faster than his body can resorb the fluid or byproduct of the dead tumor.
We are praying that this miracle will accelerate so that by drying up the necrosis areas in the tumor, the pressure will be alleviated quickly and Chase can get on with the rest of his healing process. We’re keeping the faith and continuing to visualize his white blood cells rapidly carrying off the debris from the tumor. We truly appreciate all your prayers for the best possible outcome once again at this critical juncture! We are really at the crux of Chase’s recovery as the slightest amount of relief is what he needs at the moment to get beyond of this healing crisis.
God Bless!
John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann
After the last MRI, the Radiologist also mentioned that he saw some hydrocephalus (fluid backing up in upper areas of the brain). This is apparently due once again to the pressure in the brainstem area, constricting the normal flow of spinal fluid. He described it as stepping on a hose (constricting the flow) and thus some of the fluid that would normally drain into the spinal cord is collecting in other areas of the brain, causing additional cranial pressure. He felt that we might get some relief from some of cranial pressure by having a shunt inserted into his neck to allow more free flow of the fluid. We were continuing to evaluate this option although his physical therapist (who is also an energy healer) felt that the symptoms weren’t acute (nausea, headaches, seizures, etc.) and that we might continue to work with his body to alleviate the pressure by slowly shifting the plates in his skull to stimulate the flow of his spinal fluid.
However, his breathing over the past couple of nights was more even labored, which was quite concerning and last night he vomited several times from 3-6 am. He was also quite lethargic yesterday evening and less responsive this morning (particularly after the bouts of nausea). We got quite concerned and checked with his doctor from the Burzynski Clinic, who recommended that we call emergency paramedics, which we did this morning and he was taken to ER. They were concerned that Chase might have aspirated a bit from some of his difficulty swallowing which could have resulted in fluid accumulating in his lungs.
He ended up being admitted at Beaumont this morning and they did a battery of tests. The chest X-ray showed the possibility of a small amount of fluid in his right lung, although not too concerning (he’s taking some antibiotics for this, just in case). Chase’s heart rate was irregular, with several dips to very low levels intermittently. They did a quick CT scan of the brain again, to check the status of the hydrocephalus. It did appear to be a concern and they conducted a quick procedure to insert a temporary shunt to monitor how much pressure was alleviated. This immediately regulated his breathing and heart rate and they are evaluating further the possibility of implanting a permanent shunt, after they see his condition over the next day or two. In some ways, this urgent procedure is enabling us to do what we were considering anyhow, in a much more rapid way with less inconvenience, since the ER crew was able to rush through all the steps that we otherwise would’ve had to schedule over several days.
The CT Scan once again showed large pockets of necrosis, which the Neurosurgeon thought almost looked like cysts containing either fluid or possibly just air at this point (they seem to be even larger than they were in the last MRI, which is pretty good news). He wants to consult with his colleagues about options that could further alleviate the cranial pressure by somehow opening the cysts (although this would require another craniotomy, which we would certainly like to avoid). All indications are that this tumor is indeed breaking down; however, until it actually shrinks, the pressure that is building-up is extremely concerning since it is affecting Chase’s vitals. This is essentially the “healing crisis” – the tumor is breaking down at a rate faster than his body can resorb the fluid or byproduct of the dead tumor.
We are praying that this miracle will accelerate so that by drying up the necrosis areas in the tumor, the pressure will be alleviated quickly and Chase can get on with the rest of his healing process. We’re keeping the faith and continuing to visualize his white blood cells rapidly carrying off the debris from the tumor. We truly appreciate all your prayers for the best possible outcome once again at this critical juncture! We are really at the crux of Chase’s recovery as the slightest amount of relief is what he needs at the moment to get beyond of this healing crisis.
God Bless!
John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann
posted by John & Carol Sammut at 7:28 PM
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