Hydrocephalus

This picture might be a little more clarifying. The image on the left has hydrocephalus--this is similar to how Jeff's brain looked prior to the surgery. The image on the right is a normal brain with a functional draining system. The ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt was placed in the third ventricle which is the area where the white arrow is pointing to. Pretty soon--if the shunt works correctly--Jeff's brain will look like the normal one. I also thought I might add that when Jeff and I were in the ER Friday night, Dr. Gaufin, the wonderful neurosurgeon, said that he had performed 300-400 of these procedures and that there was a 95% chance of everything going as planned. So we are thankful that everything did!

A Weekend To Remember

This past weekend has been one that I will never forget. Hopefully I can tell you the story of my brain surgery experience. On Thursday I went in for an eye appointment to update my prescription and buy another year's worth of contacts. My eye doctor saw something on the photos of the inside of my eye where the optic nerve is. He noticed a change from last year that he thought might be something significant, but I felt completely normal and had none of the symptoms that he mentioned. He wanted me to go to the BYU health center within the next couple of weeks just to make sure and mentioned he would call them and explain the situation. That night, when I was in class, I received a call from the health center telling me I needed an MRI ASAP. Friday during my lunch break, I went and got an MRI of my brain to confirm that it was nothing. The doctor there told me they would have the results back by Mon or Tuesday. Friday evening at 6:00 PM I received a call with the results back from my MRI. The doctor explained to me that I had spinal fluid blockage in my brain and the pressure was building up in my ventricles. He continued to tell me to go to the ER immediately and see a neurosurgeon about having surgery. Saturday Morning at 11:00 am I went in for brain surgery to correct the hydrocephalus and I had a shunt placed in my brain to help the fluid drain. The shunt goes from inside my brain all the way down into my abdominal cavity where the spinal fluid will now drain when the pressure gets too high. I feel really grateful for my eye doctor who saw something different and had the courage to act and make sure it got taken care of. The surgery went as planned and I was able to come home Sunday evening with some painkillers and an amazing wife to help take care of me. As long as a painkiller enters my body every four hours I am doing okay for having brain surgery two days ago. To think that if the doctors hadn't corrected the problem, serious issues would have risen such as a coma or even death. I feel eternally grateful for all those involved and for all those that helped with me. Life can be short and we need to always be prepared for anything that comes are way. The Lord cares about us and loves us so much. I felt his love through him and all his children that helped me.

Had to make due with the haircut. Ranked #7 in the country how can you not put it on your head.
This is where the tube ends in my stomach.

Here's the scar from the hole they drilled in my skull (dime size) Going for a Walk, I literally felt like a Old Man who was 80 yrs old.

It's Been an Interesting Morning

So far today I have:

1. Built a bookshelf
2. Broken out in hives all over my body. I have never had hives before so it's quite strange.
3. Killed the LARGEST spider I have EVER seen with a hammer.

Kind of a weird start to my day...

-Brianne

Oregon Trip/Jesse and Michael's Visit to Provo

Well we finally made it back to Oregon! I hadn't seen my family since our wedding (which was 14 months ago) so it was great to see them! We drove there and back for a total of 26 hours of driving and whole lot of miles on our trusty Toyota Camry. My younger brother Nick drove out there with us and then Michael and Jesse drove back (along with Nick) to visit for a few days so it was quite the cramped ride on the way back. But we survived and had a ton of fun. My studly little bro, Michael, taking a break at his football jamboree. 10 year olds are so cute in their gear!Visiting my two best friends Danielle and Emma. I miss them a lot!

I was really looking forward to going to the Little North Fork of the Santiam River and spending the day in the water and the sun but it was only 75 degrees so when we got in the snow melt water, it was freeeeezing!!! I was sad I didn't get to show Jeff how fun it is up there. Maybe next time...


We also had a fun time at a barbecue with my extended family and at Rock-N-Rogers where we had the most delicious breakfast food ever.

Highlights from Provo:Visiting the Legacy Hall of Fame. In 10-15 years Michael Rasaka might be in there as he has made it clear he wants to be a BYU football player. Go Michael! Love Jesse's closed eyes...
We decided to go to the BYU track for our workout on Tuesday and this is how we felt when we finished.At the top of the Y on Y Mountain. The hike was a whole lot harder than we remembered. Especially after a sprint workout. The Statue of Christ in the visitor's center at Temple SquareJesse and Michael were troopers. Neither had flown before but they toughened up and flew back to Oregon all by themselves.

Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of our time at Seven Peaks but we all had a blast. The weather was great and the park was way empty. Also, Michael and Jeff were extreme dare devils. They both went down the yellow and blue slides but Jeff even went down the orange one and then he went down the Boomerang backwards! Scary!

In Memory of Robin Rasaka

Two years ago today I answered a phone call in the middle of grocery store only to hear the worst news of my life: my mom had passed away in her sleep early that morning. It seems like it has been TEN years since I've seen my mom, but it's amazing how the Lord blesses and comforts you during life's trials. I know I wouldn't be doing so well if I didn't have a testimony of eternal families and it makes me so much more grateful for the Lord's Holy Temples and the sealing power that is found within.


Here are the top 5 things I have missed since she's been gone:
1. Lying in her bed at night and watching chick flicks and eating chocolate.
2. Going to McGrath's for dinner after a day of shopping together.
3. Her cooking, her decorating, her craftiness, her organization, etc. Basically everything that made our house the Rasaka home.
4. Singing to loud country music (mostly Keith Urban) while driving in the car with her.
5. Calling her whenever anything went wrong in my life and having her tell me it'll be okay. Also calling her whenever anything went right and having her congratulate me.

I wish there was a phone line to Heaven so I could call and chat with her now and then but that would just make life too easy. My mom was the best and I love her dearly. I've been blessed to have her in my life for 19 years!