Surgery complete and Kristin in recovery!

Just met with Kristin's surgeon. According to him the procedure went very well and she is doing great.

The doctor said that as soon as they looked in they could see the portion of her brain that had descended below her skull. He removed a small portion of her skull at the base near her neck and said that they immediatly saw a reduction in the pressure on her brain. Because the brain had reached her spinal column, the doctor also removed her C-1 vertebrae (the topmost on your spine; see pic in this post).

This is an extremely positive result. We always knew that a small piece of skull would be removed and that the C-1 vertebrae would have to go. However, depending on what they found, it was possible that her C-2 vertebrae would have to be removed and/or that they would have to make an incision in the tonsils of her brain (the portion that had descended) in order to fully relieve the pressure. The fact they did not have to do that made the procedure more simple and likely will make Kristin's recovery that much easier.

Kristin is in the ICU recovery room and is awake and alert. We won't be able to see her for an hour or two. While I wish I could run in to see her right now, its enough to know she is doing well. :)

Mike