Nothing like planning ahead. It takes three months to get in to see a pediatric neurologist in our urban jungle and yesterday was the day. 7 of 8 got to meet her own personal Brain Doctor so we could get a little bit clearer picture of how her right hemisphere is wired.
To recap, for those new readers out there, our 7 of 8 came equipped with the funniest little lopsided crawl we had ever seen. It was darling, inelegant, and quite unique. And then it didn’t change…and didn’t change….and didn’t change. Clue Number One. We ultimately ended up with a series of MRI portraiture of the inside of 7’s pretty head and were told that she had experienced some sort of stroke around the time of birth, leading to weakness on her left side.
The Brain Doctor yesterday was wonderful. Compassionate, playful, more than happy to meet me at my level and let me ask all sorts of neurological trivia. I love that, when a medical professional is open and not threatened by a Mama Bear who doesn’t claim to know it all, but has taken it upon herself to do a little thing called research. He validated some of the research I had found, had further suggestions and was able to determine that 7’s stroke was ischemic.
There are essentially two types of stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic. An ischemic stoke is when there is an interruption of blood flow to the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke is when the brain experiences a bleed in the brain due to a rupture in blood vessels or injury. 7’s type of stroke occurred in a small patch of white matter adjacent to the right ventricle. (We now interrupt this post to remind you of something from high school biology class…the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body…) It does not appear that the blood flow was impeded by a clot, but rather some sort of small event, such as a blood pressure drop, that interrupted appropriate blood flow to that area of the brain. The Brain Doctor told me that different areas of the brain receive different levels of blood volume. The area of the brain where 7’s stroke occurred ordinarily receives the lowest amount of blood flow, one-fifth of the blood flow common to the rest of the brain. Therefore, this is a common area to see this type of ischemic stroke in infants; it’s sort of the last stop on the train route in terms of blood supply.
A couple of areas of good news included his opinion that 7’s left leg was left relatively unaffected by the stroke and that the continued strengthening of her abdominals and obliques will ultimately pull her legs into better position. He estimates that 7 will be walking within the next four months or so, a huge relief to hear as it isn’t always clear how far-reaching the impact of a stroke will be. Her cognitive development seems to be normal and on schedule, appropriate for her age. And Mr. Brain Doctor Sir also believes that 7’s stroke occurred in the womb, not at birth, based on the scarring and accommodation of the ventricle to the area of the stroke, or lesion. This may sound odd, but this lifted the little chip of guilt I had been carrying, as I opted to deliver the twins vaginally instead of through a c-section. I had questioned myself in light of 7’s condition, if the vaginal delivery had been too much for her, even though the birth was incredibly smooth and without any complications or drops in heart rate. Apparently, the results of the MRI seem consistent with a brain event occurring with an in-utero blood flow interruption.
So, all in all, in that strange way, it was a good day. 7 flirted and babbled and chewed on her pink poodle doll and showed Mr. Brain Doctor Sir her little cruising walk while hanging on to the office chairs. She slowly blinked her big green eyes at the nurses. She ate animal crackers, blew kisses and screamed when they weighed her. We thanked the doctor, thanked the staff and booked our appointment for next year…yes, they book a year in advance.
And then we went back to our daily work of working with her left hand, her dexterity, building strength. We went back to our daily work of working on her crawl, repositioning her feet, kissing her pudgy cheeks, delighting in her giggles and being thankful again to have her, just as she is.
Yeah!! All good news!!!
Great news! Praise God!
So glad you received good news!
When 7 of 8 is older she will look back on this blog with great interest.
She will be able to appreciate her achievements and the difficult start to life she had to overcome.
For the rest of us we are just marvelling at her journey.
Thanks for sharing this Octamom.
Love
Peggy
Hi again! So pleased to hear your appointment went well. I’m sure this will turn out positively for your family somehow. My friend’s family used to joke that it was his nephew’s way of getting lots of “hands-on” attention! It’s great that they don’t need to see her again for another year! I’ll light a candle and pray that the therapy gets easier – for all you!
Oh that is great news. And 7 is just adorable!
She is precious. I’m so glad you got good news!
She is perfect, because she is herself.:)
I am so glad that your appointment went well!! She couldn’t possibly be more of a sweetheart. I just love your blog. The love you have for God, your husband, your kids – and your enthusiasm for life- comes right off of the computer “pages.” You are a GREAT mommy.
So glad the appointment went well and you were able to have more clarity of what is going on, when it happened….all the things that mommas love to get! So glad you had a great encounter with the doctor–I know for me this is important. I am astonished at how long things take around here too — I quickly discovered Scott and White had the nickname Sit and Wait for a REAL reason-LOL! But sometimes the waiting is worth it!!! Blessings.
Wow, do I relate to some of the things you shared… I do have a Wonderful praise report if you are interested in reading it… it is a recent update on our youngest son. He was born with a congenital muscular torticollis that could have been FAR worse than it was, but Praise God was not. Unfortunately, and fortunately, we had to go through physical therapy to work on it and strengthen his muscles. Only fortunate because God worked out the details perfectly, and we got to witness to and encourage the young therapist who came. Dario loves her very much in spite of the hard job she has to do… Anyhow, I know those feelings of guilt… Oh, how i know! Birth story sharing has to be on my agenda with you one of these days! š Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow, even the little ones! Blessings to you and your lovely family!
“Thankful again to have her, just as she is.” So sweet. You have a great attitude about it all!!!!
Oh yeah!! How wonderful. What a great doctors visit. Does that mean she will not have any side effects from the stroke(once she gains the stregnth back)? I will keep yall in my prayers!
Hooray!
Such great news. I love doctors that are willing to talk with you, not at you. I’m sure the piece of news that the stroke was in utero was a huge weight off of your shoulders. I can imagine wondering must have been an extra weight that you didn’t need.
I love that you know how to throw in necessary medical jargon but know how to do it in a seemingly non didactic way.
I love your writing.
Speaking of…..I kept this Monday open so that I can actually play along on the right day. š
Praise God, thank you Jesus! I am SO happy to hear that everything is good! I too, understand the guilt when things don’t go quite as expected in pregnancy!
She is so darn precious!
Thank you for sharing the good, the bad and the ugly with us!
In Christ,
Audie
Oh Ocatmom, that is great news!! In my “previous life” I was an occupational therapist and have worked both in the schools and early intervention. I love, love, love….when you come across a great doc…they really do exist. I thank God for those doctors who are patient and kind and let you ask questions. They really are a blessing to so many, but especially Mama Bears.
I’m sure it is a relief to find out the stroke was in utero. It sounds like things are looking good for sweet 7. I will add her to my prayers today.
That is wonderful news. I know exactly what you mean about the guilt thing. I’m sure it did make you feel better. Hooray for you being able to deliver vaginally. I wish I could’ve… Little Man needed to get out! š I’m so glad you had good news.
Great news!! The one who created her has her in his hands. Never carry guilt for things that are beyond your control. But I know that is something very hard to do, I still do it with my third. Some days I’m fine, and then there are days where I get frustrated with her and I get upset and cry and then I blame myself for all of her problems, if only…. but I have to remind myself, God is in control.
SO glad to hear things went well and that you have a great brain doc! It makes things so much nicer when you have a patient and caring dr. to work with.
Blessings, dear friend!
Steph
I am so pleased for all of you that she has a great Brain Doc! What a relief for you guys. And right now even more than the great Doc I am pleased that you have a guilt lift. (like a face lift but WAAAY more life changing) I suffered HUGELY after i had PND (totally different i know but guilt is guilt!) after 2 was born and was guilty till she was about 9 years old! Took a long time, but that lift was and is life changing! I am just so glad you found out the when of it all, because no matter what people say you still feel all the “what if i’s… and the maybe if’s” and self blame…So to know it happened pre natally is a good thing for Momma! I am delighted for you.
Good news and a great doctor – sounds wonderful! She is such a cutie.
what a little miracle she is. she is also a doll. so glad that everything is a-okay!
I am so glad it went well. Having the right person to provide medical care not just for your child but for you is critical. I am a cynic when it comes to opportunities to find a highly highly intelligent, competent, normal looking, not to ancient doctor with social skills, especially in those “brainy” fields. You might just hit a jackpot! So happy for you! We love our doctor too!
Great news! It wonderful how God was able to give you information, through the doctor, that relieved your guilt and fears about her stroke.
That’s wonderful OM. Three months, that’s not the worst time lapse I have seen for referrals. #2 had been waiting for a audiology/speech referral since he turned 3 in March and was hardly talking and got it in July. This only happened because I called the pediatrician’s secretary to ask what happened. She swears she made the referral. Funny, the week after I made the call to her I got an appointment with audiology. Then we had to wait for the audiologist to make the referral for the speech eval. In the mean time we have gotten used to the way he speaks and can’t understand why people don’t understand him. His eval takes place in the first week in October.
I am so happy that you 7 of 8 has such a good prognosis. God is good. Isn’t he?
I am so greatful for modern technology! It is so great that doctors can know these things!
I’m so glad your Dr. was understanding and helpful…it makes all the difference. And it sounds like the news you received was all positive. Hooray!
Wow! Sounds like a great appointment, with so much to look forward to.