Jacob is having surgery Sept 10, 2009

Deep breath...

I'm not sure if I am ready to write this post. I know I wasn't ready for the weight of this decision.

Surgery: To do or not to do? The goal: To preserve the little bit of sight Jacob still has and do no harm. To prepare Jacob for radiation therapy.

I won't talk about the dangers. I won't discuss my fears. I am not thinking about them right now. I am forcing myself to think positively. I am trying very hard to see a positive outcome. I am trying very hard to keep faith in God and in Jacob's doctors, that the choice to do surgery will be the best for Jacob and his future.

Jacob, Jacob's dad, Thomas, Jacob's grandparents and my Rebecca all agree with me that this is the best next step to take.

My heart is still breaking for my beautiful, precious Jacob.

I spoke with Jacob's neurosurgeon, Dr. David Pincus this past Wednesday. The CT scan did show that Jacob's optic nerve does have a tumor on it. They are almost sure it is a meningioma. They even believe it has been there for a very long time, but is now big enough to cause problems. They also believe that the optic nerve has become "compressed" and needs more room. Jacob's doctors recommended that Jacob have Optic nerve decompression surgery.

According to Dr. Pincus there is a "bony tube" that surrounds the optic nerve and if they remove it the optic nerve will have more room to relax. He also believes it will give radiation more of a chance of working to Jacob's benefit. The surgery is performed by placing an incision along the hairline from the ear to the eye brow, going in through the skull and brain cover. They push the brain back "a bit" and work between the two frontal lobes. They then remove part of or all of the "bony tube" (I can't remember) and then put everything back together again.

I have a lot more questions and will get a lot more information when I meet with Dr. Pincus next week for pre-op. They did say that Jacob will remain in the hospital for 4 to 5 days and will be out of school for several weeks. We will be leaving for Gainesville Wednesday and hopefully return by Monday or Tuesday.

Once again I am asking for your prayers. Please pray for Jacob. Please pray to give Jacob's doctors steady hands and knowledge to take care of Jacob to the best of their abilities. Please pray for me to have strength, grace, patience, and most of all faith. Please pray for all of us. Jacob is very strong, but he will need each of us to help him through this difficult time.

Thank you and much love,

Tammy