PDA

View Full Version : New to the Connection


Nocertainties
06-29-2008, 12:31 PM
Hi there, I just found this site... I'm absolutely amazed I never found it when I was pregnant with my wee boy, I must have worn out our internet researching every single thing I could on what to expect.

I'm Aly, 22 and mother of one, a little seven month old boy named Logan, he's an absolute darling and my husband and I are entirely blessed. I'm a stay at home mum and my husband works nights, so Logan gets to see his daddy a lot!

Logan had an L5/T1 Meningocele which was discovered at 19 weeks gestation during an ultrasound, he already had noticeable chiari malformation and hydrocephalus. We were told that he was worst case scenario, he would be wheelchair bound for life and subtly pushed towards discontinuing the pregnancy ( Or not so subtly in the case of my first midwife who told me "You're young, you have plenty more chances" )
We were rushed to the main hospital in our city and given all our options, that first day we found out was basically like being hit over the head with a baseball bat and then told that you had to run a marathon or they would chop off one of your limbs.
Needless to say we were a little shellshocked. But in no way were we going to let this precious little one, whom we had already felt move and imagined a future for ( although that was subject to change based on these findings ) not be brought into the world.

Skip forward a few months and I develop pre eclampsia at 31 weeks, At 32 weeks two days, after I had been asking to be induced for two days+ I had an eclamptic fit and was rushed in for a C-Section.

Logan had his first surgery the day he was born, his surgeon was amazed, he was one of our consultants during the pregnancy and he had not dreamed that he would find what he did. Logan was blessed to have no greater Spinal Cord exposed, there was a slight rupture in the dura surrounding it that was closed easily.

He was kept in an incubator until he was one month old, during which time he had his second surgery, his shunt put in at one week. He stayed in hospital until he was two months old, with us making daily trips to spend all day there.
Finally home and he is doing great, we're relieved and excited, his pediatrician thinks that he has a great chance of being able to walk unnasisted, he's flexing toes and crossing legs, doing his best to make changing him a longer job then it needs to be =)

Phew. Sorry, didn't mean to write a novel ^^;

Hi =)

Dodger67
06-29-2008, 12:54 PM
Welcome to the forum Aly:happy065:
:goodpost:

I'm a bit confused about your reference to T1/L5 as T1 is at the top of the chest (first verteba below the neck) and L5 is at the mottom of the lumbar area?
S1/L5 would make more sense as S1 is at he top of the sacrum.

I almost burst out laughing at the part where you say they told you his is "the worst case scenario". LMAO!!!!

Please feel free to dive right in on any topic.
:sign0021:

Nocertainties
06-30-2008, 02:24 PM
Eeep sorry that was supposed to be T12. The reason the doctors weren't sure if he would even survive birth or even the pregnancy was because his was quite high up, they said that it pointed ominously towards more problems than just the SB and as such, we were advised to discontinuation.

Some of the things I went through when pregnant with him still make me want to lunge out and bite some of the people we dealt with. How can someone with such dim empathy for others choose a profession like that?

=P

lolathechecker
07-04-2008, 06:01 PM
when my baby was born, they told me she only had mild movement in her hips. but she kicks her legs and moves like crazy. sometimes, doctors give the worst case scenario because if they are wrong, then it turns out good instead of instilling false hope and crushing expectations. you are very lucky, as were we. congratulations and welcome.:happy065: