an MRI at MRI

That's a Magnetic Resonance Image (brain scan) at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Ashley's due for one tomorrow.

We have two worries:

- first, to have the scan, he has to be motionless. You and I could probably do this but a 5 year old special needs kids has no chance. Up til now he has been given Chloral Hydrate but now he's bigger he has to go under a General Anaesthetic. There are dangers involved and although they've assured us that he will only go under for long enough for the scan, it still worries us. Last year I stopped breathing on the way out of theatre after a throat op. I'm sure he'll be okay but ........

- secondly although he needs the scan (seizures are more frequent and it's been a couple of years since the last one) we still wonder what they'll find. He has a ventriculomegaly (larger than normal fluid channels in the middle of his brain), and arachnoid cyst (bubble of fluid in the coating of his brain) and agenesis of the corpus callosum (the bridge between the two halves of his brain is poorly formed). So we know what they're looking for but it worries us to know any of these things could worsen. There's talk of a shunt to ease a possible build up of pressure from his brain fluid (he's started to have headaches).

Not much sleep tonight then...........