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Tickled over recovery photo by Drew Fleming Girl, 5, speeds back to normal after some serious brain surgery While most kids were getting ready for their first day of school, picking out new clothes and meeting their teachers, 5-year-old Nichole Mahoney was at Doernbecher Children�s Hospital in Portland recovering from brain and spinal surgery. The Medford girl was diagnosed in early August with Chiari malformation, a birth defect that occurs in the brain inhibiting circulation of spinal fluid and blood. Nichole�s parents, Michael and Sarah Mahoney, said the problem commonly causes headaches, neck pain, uncomfortable sensation in the arms and legs, stiffness. In less common cases it can cause gagging or difficulty with swallowing. In Nichole�s case, the back of her jaw was pinching into her brain stem, creating a great deal of pressure. Mike and Sarah Mahoney said they first suspected something was wrong with their daughter when they noticed her eyes crossing. They made an appointment with an eye doctor who prescribed corrective glasses for Nichole, but after a year went by and things failed to improve, an MRI was ordered. When Chiari was finally diagnosed, the Mahoneys learned more about the birth defect and realized the problem with their daughter�s eyes had been related to other symptoms she was having. The symptoms included difficulty with her balance, not being ticklish and being unable to feel hot or cold. Nichole�s father recalled a visit to her grandfather�s home during which she put her hand into a candle flame and didn�t pull back because she couldn�t feel anything. Mahoney said, although he was "completely shocked" by the diagnosis, he knew it could have been much worse. "My heart dropped. We weren�t expecting something like this at all. The eye doctor had been up all weekend hoping it wasn�t what he had thought to begin with. He was worried it might be a tumor." Within a month of the MRI results, the Mahoneys were on a plane to Doernbecher children�s hospital at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. If not corrected, Chiari can lead to serious neurological problems, such as trouble with speech, eating problems, loss of bowel control and limb use and learning problems. Her father said Nichole was "a little scared," and curious about being put to sleep before surgery. Before her surgery, Nichole had one question. "Will I be able to dream?" the little girl asked her anesthesiologist. But she would have no dream or any recollection of the procedure that left a scar from the middle of her skull to below her shoulder blades. Nichole�s doctor performed a "cranial extraction" in which a piece of Nichole�s skull was cut away in order to relieve pressure from spinal fluid that had built up because of a lack of circulation. Six hours and 350 stitches later, Nichole was out of surgery. She spent 2 days in intensive care and 6 more in recovery. Nichole will have a check-up every three months for one year so doctors can monitor her recovery and she may need corrective glasses. The nerves that control her eyes were pinched by the malformation. Mahoney, who works for the public works department in Central Point, said he was thankful everything turned out so well. "Everyone was so supportive, especially my co-workers. My boss was willing to donate his own sick time so I could be at the hospital with Nichole." Mahoney said he was also grateful for the insurance coverage he had with his job. "The city�s insurance was phenomenal. I got the bill and it said $26,000. Our portion was zero." Nichole got her stitches out two weeks ago and the only evidence of her hospital stay is the scar that should fade as she grows. For now it�s covered by long, curly, blond hair while she enjoys life as a typical 5-year-old, catching bugs, playing with her friends and with her best friend, her cat, Paws. Mahoney said his daughter no longer suffers from any of the problems she lived with before her surgery, and has even experienced a few things she couldn�t before. "She wasn�t ticklish before the surgery. If you tickled her she looked at you like �what are you doing� but now she�s extremely ticklish," he said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.