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2004-07-08 Emily part 4 Emily did a fabulous job during her MRI. I couldn't go in due to the fact that I am pregnant but my mother went in with her and said she was perfect. She even fell asleep for the first half. They had to wake her to give her a shot in the arm (a dye for contrast) but she went right back in and stayed still.We waited in the neurology department for a preliminary reading which we got about an hour or so after she was done. Thankfully, there was nothing major wrong(tumor, blood clot etc.) however, the reading was abnormal. This is a little hard to explain(the neurologist drew a picture) so bear with me. Before a person is born, usually during the second trimester of pregnancy, the neurons begin their migration from the water filled cavities where the origniate, to their final spot somewhere in the cortex of the brain. The cortex is the part of the brain that processes...everything. Learning, memory, perception etc. A normal MRI shows that these neurons have migrated completely. An abnormal one, such is the case with Emily's shows that some of the neurons did not make the journey and are just floating around in limbo. In some cases this can cause severe impairments, such as mental retardation, poor muscle tone, and failure to thrive and grow. In Emily's case(thank God) the only apparent result is her seizure disorder. Although we are obviously grateful that this is the only problem, it most likely means that she will not "outgrow" this and will have to live with it throughout her life. That in itself brings on a whole new set of concerns for the future(driving, having children etc) but is something we are choosing not to think about this early on. The MRI reading was only preliminary and we will be getting the final results within the next few days. I am having a hard time digesting the fact that there is something actually wrong with my child's brain. Maybe different is a better word. It just seems so impossible. She is so advanced in so many ways that it makes me wonder, if the neurons had actually made their way over to where they belong, would she have been a genius? This may seem like a strange question to ponder but she is for all intents and purposes wise beyond her years, despite the disorder. Obviously, given all of the problems that could result from this disorder, we are so lucky that seizures are the only problem she has. 0 comments so far |
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