Met with the Dr for a Q& A on Yestrday

[pokie123]

He says that what he saw on ultrasound was a sac filled with fluid covered by skin at L3 and L4 and that it was down low near the tail bone. Does anybody know what this means. I go to shands in gainsville 3/31/2010 anyone from that area. Thanks for all the support.

[Dodger67]

Best case: The cyst/cele contains only fluid - minimal or even no nerve damage at all.

Worst case: The cyst/cele contains a lot of nerve tissue - extensive paralysis of the legs and both bladder and bowel incontinence.
Just like me except my damage goes up to L2 on the right.

Common complications are clubbed feet and hydrocephalus, both are usually fairly easy to correct.

The most likely scenario is somewhere inbetween. Unfortunately there really is no way to make an accurate prediction before birth.

[LisaJoy]

Dodger's right; there is really no way to know how much nerve involvement there'll be until your baby arrives -- and even then, these kids have a way of surprising the "experts" for years!

Since doctors are prone to giving worst-case scenarios, I think "skin-covered and fluid-filled" and the absence of any mention of hydrocephalus are generally positive indications.

Keep in mind that sb and its various implications are for the most part quite manageable. There are rare & extreme circumstances that result in bad outcomes, but your doctor would have told you if he had any reason to be concerned.

By the way -- when you are talking to doctors, do not hesitate to interrupt them and say, What does that mean? I think they forget that most of the expectant & new parents they deal with are blank slates when it comes to sb information. They spout off stuff and assume you know what they are talking about, when a lot of times they might as well be speaking Greek. However, you will soon become fluent in the language of sb!

Hang in there -- the "unknowns" before your baby arrives are the scariest part. All the moms on this forum say that once the baby comes, everything gets a lot easier to cope with, even though there are often a lot of medical intervention and tons of appointments in the first year.

[pokie123]

he did say the fluid on the brain also part so I am praying for a good outcome

[Dodger67]

Hydrocephalus is hardly ever a serious problem - if necessary its quite easy to put in a shunt to regulate the pressure.