Dis-ease (Arachnoid Cyst/Guillain-Barre)

My Two Close Encounters With Dis-Ease
I had to schedule my daughter's CT Scan for the year this week and so of course my stomach is in knots. When she was six months old her pediatrician requested an ultrasound of her head because her soft spot was a little high. It seemed a very normal request at the time and of course nothing could be wrong with the most beautiful little girl in the world, right? Wrong. The ultrasound revealed a 5cmx5cmx6cm arachnoid cyst. A what? A fluid cyst, caused by a blockage of cerebral spinal fluid. After I hung up with the pediatrician I called her back to make sure she said centimeters and she did. Can you imagine something that big in an infant's head with no real visible sign of trouble? Our ped, Dr. Palmer immediately got us an appointment at Texas Children's Hospital with neurosurgeon, Dr. Dauser. The first MRI was the scariest. One second she was awake and the next she was not. When she woke up we had an appointment with Dauser where we could actually see the images of her cyst, whom eventually was named Arnold. He wanted to do surgery that week as soon as possible. He gave me two choices. Shunt or fenestration. How do you make that decision for a little baby? A shunt is like a check valve in her brain with a tube attached that allows the cerebral spinal fluid to flow into her stomach and absorb back into her body. It is permanent and it faces the risks of infection and replacement. Fenestration is where surgeons actually go into the brain and attempt to fix the problem permanently. Well, I am no doctor and do not claim to know which is better, but I chose the shunt. It is a pressureless one so it she can still lead a normal lifestyle without having any limitations on life, except no full contact sports. She had brain surgery and went home the next day. How is that for amazing? So far so good. She is about to be 2 and is the smartest cookie in the whole box, not to mention gorgeous. I can't predict the future, but I do know that I am grateful for where we are now. In December, we will have our 2nd after surgery CT scan to verify that "Arnold" is still small and harmless and that the shunt is working properly. There are alot of people out there with arachnoid cysts that have not been so lucky in finding treatments or even doctors who will help them. Arachnoid cysts can cause all kinds of other problems for the person who has them. Seizures, blindness,migraines,etc...Take a moment and go to one of the sites that support them and help spread the awareness.
Arachnoid Cyst Awareness
I was also introduced to another disease this year that I was unaware of. My mom was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome in January. I had never heard of it at the time and still have only heard it mentioned a couple of times on House. It is basically where you are paralyzed, but your nerves still work and you can feel pain. She was complaining one night that her arm felt weird and she felt weak. She had experienced fever a few days before, but that did not seem relative at the time. My family on my mother's side has a large history of diabetes, heart disease and stroke so her arm feeling odd really worried her. My sister took her to the emergency room. Unable to pinpoint the problem they kept her overnight. By the next day she lost use of her legs and arms and could not move on her own. How insane is that? After seeing two neurologists and having done ever test in the world she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre. The crazy thing about it is that they cannnot tell you how bad it is or even if you would ever recover. There is not enough research on this disease. Mom laid in the hospital bed, day after day, unable to move, but completely suffering in pain. She had many bad nights there because a large portion of the staff seemed unaware that she needed to constantly be moved and massaged. they treated her like she was paralyzed. Well you can't feel pain when you are paralyzed, but you sure as hell can when you have Guillain-Barre. Mom is very lucky. After being treated with rounds of antibodies she regained the use of her arms and was able to begin physical therapy. I think learning to walk again may have been the scariest part of it all for her. She had to learn to trust a body that have given up on her before and learn to be physically independent again. I think her greatest therapy and healing came when she was finally released from the hospital and came home to play with her grandaughter. Mom has made for the most part a full recovery. She is walking and back at work. The downside is that now she is more succeptable to Guillain-Barre. She cannot take vaccines and has to be really careful about upsetting her immune system. more research should be done. most people who suffer from this disease are not so lucky. Some can never walk again and others even die. it all depends on how fast the problem is recognized and treated. Look into a Guillain-Barre. Help spread the knowledge.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome