Logan's brain cyst...click here to see an MRI pic

You obviously see the big ball when you are looking at his right side of his head. It is called an ependymal cyst. Those of you who know me from Soul Sisters know all about this cyst, but others of you most likely do not.
Logan was diagnosed with this cyst when he was about 15ish months. He fell at my parents, and after a full day of crying we decided to take him in. They did a catscan just to check for some bleeding in the brain. It came back totally fine. We left with some tylenol. 2 days later, the Doctors office called me...over and over and over...but I was coming in that day anyway for a recheck for Logan. They told me that the cat scan showed something in his brain that they needed to get checked out. We had to go in for a sedated MRI that wound up taking over an hour and a half. I got to hold Logan and sing him a song and rock him in a rocking chair while they got the big scary room ready. He wanted nothing to do with that room. Then, they put the mask on him and I watched my baby be put to sleep. It was awful, horrible, and life altering holding your baby as he was put to sleep. They then, after we left, put in the IV and started the real sedation. Dave and I paced the halls, knowing that we wouldn't know anything that day anyway.
We had our follow up with the head of the pediatric neurosurgery department the next day. We found out about his cyst. His golf ball sized cyst. Of course I couldn't help but cry as the neurosurgeon explained what was in his head and that he would definelty have the chance of having to have brain surgery one day. Logan didn't crawl until 11 months, and didn't walk until 15 months. These were still on the high-normal end of the charts, but the doctor believed he was late in these milestones because of the cyst. He explained to us that the cyst was between the area that produces cerebral-spinal fluid (could cause hydro-cephalis) and his vision control part of his brain (blindness).
We sat in fear.
There were things we were to watch for. Light sensitivity, falling a lot, head growth, irritability, extreme sleepyness...as well as others. If any of these things were to happen, we were supposed to call right away. Of course, we made ourselves see each and every thing that the doctor pointed out! We called many times thinking the worse. We went back a few months later for a recheck MRI. This MRI if called a 'quick MRI'. It isn't offered everywhere, in fact our hospital invented it. If the doctor knows exactly where to look, they can wrap up the child (very sad) and stick him in the tube (very sad) and do it quick (did I mention sad?) But it took all of 90 seconds with NO sedation! The good news is, it wasn't growing. The bad news was, it was taking over our lives. Logan had extreme light sensitivity, and we had to go to the eye doctors for regular checkups to see if the retina was swollen at all (a sign the cyst was growing)...it was not.
The doctor wanted to see my u/s pics from when I was pregnant with Logan. he said if the cyst was present there chances were good it wouldn't grow any bigger. If it wasn't in my u/s, that would give a pretty good indication that there was a much better chance that the cyst WOULD grow, therefor needing surgery. The cyst was NOT present in my u/s.
Logan also spend 2 nights in the hospital last October as to watch for silent seizures (a symptom of this cyst) and thank GOD he wasn't having them. He had to have a 48 hr video EEG done. He had to have the electrodes attached and gauze on his head with a little backpack at all times. He also had to have them changed morning and night. It was very hard for him, and us to spend 48 hrs in a room the size of our bathroom!
Towards the end of our hospital stay, the neurologist told us that Logan had "a whopper of a cyst in his brain" but the GOOD news was, there was MOST LIKELY only a 25% chance that he would need surgery in his life! You can look at this a couple different ways. One way is to think that one child out of four WILL have surgery. I don't like that view. Our 2 next door neighbors, including Logan are 4 children. That isn't many. I see them outside and think...hmmmm! I don't like that thought process at all! ANOTHER way to look at his is if there was a park filled to the rim with children. 100 children! only 25 would have to have surgery! While that STILL isn't really easy to think about, it was easier knowing that 75 of the children would live normal lives, and Logan could definetly be one of those children. If he DID have to have surgery, it would be a very easy surgery in brain surgery terms. (but is there really such thing as an EASY BRAIN SURGERY?) The main thing is going INTO the brain. But seeing it is a CYST and not a TUMOR, they would use a tiny tiny hairsized needle and drain the cyst.
And that is no guarantee. They do come back.
Today, Logan is a little over 2 1/2. (november 7th is his birthday) and he is not your typical roundy and rough 2 yr old. He is reserved, doesn't run very well. Very clumsy, akward when it comes to his feet. Besides that, there are many many things about Logan that are unique to him, and even advanced when it comes to brains smarts. He is extrememly bright, and I'm amazed everyday when he remembers something that I have a hard time remembering.
The reason I decided to post about this was because his next MRI is coming up in October. October seems so far away, yet just like tomorrow. It will have been a year sinces his last. A year is a REALLY long time to wait as a parent! I'm a bit sad (oh hell! A LOT sad)that I will not be able to go with him in the room for his MRI this time. It is a very loud scary machine. He has to get wrapped from neck to feet so he can't move. Being pregnant, I can't go because of the radiation. If it hasn't grown, there is a chance that we might be able to live a little more at ease with his condition. Its just so hard to have the unknowns. For him to fall and bump his head, and the first thought being 'omg! his cyst'. Although the neurologist assured me that he would be just like every other child, and could play football if that is what he wanted. The cyst is well protected.
It just seems to be on my mind today. That happens. Sometimes I can almost make myself forget it is there, and other days it weighs heavily on my mind when I see my neighbors out playing and wonder what will be the outcome of Logan's future.
So, that is just a little 'getting to know about a really important part of my life'.
You can see how Logan is the most special little boy in the world to us, I'm sure!