Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 Hi Patti, Just rereading your post, and I noticed in your signature you mentioned tethered cord syndrome. I haven't heard of that...would you mind sharing what that is and the consequences for Katera? Thank you, Glenna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 It means that her spinal cord was literally " tethered " down in the lumbar spine area...... due to her having mild spina bifida occulta (unbeknownst to us), where the lumbar vertebrae were slightly malformed.... and then she had some damage that was done as a tiny infant when a lumbar puncture was done to draw spinal fluid (testing for meningitis.... which she did not have). They accidentally hit a nerve root, killed it and caused bleeding and scarring inside the dura that surrounds the spinal cord..... then years later, it just kinda got " stuck " down there. As she started growing taller, it pulled and stretched the spinal cord.... and we started seeing the effects: scoliosis, loss of function in her legs, tightening heel cords, etc. She had the cord surgically released in June of 2002, just before she turned 6..... a pretty simple surgery...... and actually started walking again two months later (she had first walked at age 4.... then stopped by age 4.5). Unfortunately, there is some residual nerve damage that looks like she will not recover from..... but her severe delays were masking the symptoms and it took longer to diagnose than it would have in a more typically developing kid. Anyway, anyone who knows there child has spina bifida occulta (SBO)...... or who's child has a dimple, birthmark or hairy patch on their lower back, at the base of the spine...... should read up on tethered cord (since it is usually associated with SBO) and be watchful for the symptoms. It's being diagnosed more and more these days...... but it's usually very treatable. Patti Question for Patti Hi Patti, Just rereading your post, and I noticed in your signature you mentioned tethered cord syndrome. I haven't heard of that...would you mind sharing what that is and the consequences for Katera? Thank you, Glenna " The Ketogenic Diet....a realistic treatment option, NOT just a last resort! " List is for parent to parent support only. It is important to get medical advice from a professional keto team! Subscribe: ketogenic-subscribe Unsubscribe: ketogenic-unsubscribe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 It means that her spinal cord was literally " tethered " down in the lumbar spine area...... due to her having mild spina bifida occulta (unbeknownst to us), where the lumbar vertebrae were slightly malformed.... and then she had some damage that was done as a tiny infant when a lumbar puncture was done to draw spinal fluid (testing for meningitis.... which she did not have). They accidentally hit a nerve root, killed it and caused bleeding and scarring inside the dura that surrounds the spinal cord..... then years later, it just kinda got " stuck " down there. As she started growing taller, it pulled and stretched the spinal cord.... and we started seeing the effects: scoliosis, loss of function in her legs, tightening heel cords, etc. She had the cord surgically released in June of 2002, just before she turned 6..... a pretty simple surgery...... and actually started walking again two months later (she had first walked at age 4.... then stopped by age 4.5). Unfortunately, there is some residual nerve damage that looks like she will not recover from..... but her severe delays were masking the symptoms and it took longer to diagnose than it would have in a more typically developing kid. Anyway, anyone who knows there child has spina bifida occulta (SBO)...... or who's child has a dimple, birthmark or hairy patch on their lower back, at the base of the spine...... should read up on tethered cord (since it is usually associated with SBO) and be watchful for the symptoms. It's being diagnosed more and more these days...... but it's usually very treatable. Patti Question for Patti Hi Patti, Just rereading your post, and I noticed in your signature you mentioned tethered cord syndrome. I haven't heard of that...would you mind sharing what that is and the consequences for Katera? Thank you, Glenna " The Ketogenic Diet....a realistic treatment option, NOT just a last resort! " List is for parent to parent support only. It is important to get medical advice from a professional keto team! Subscribe: ketogenic-subscribe Unsubscribe: ketogenic-unsubscribe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 It means that her spinal cord was literally " tethered " down in the lumbar spine area...... due to her having mild spina bifida occulta (unbeknownst to us), where the lumbar vertebrae were slightly malformed.... and then she had some damage that was done as a tiny infant when a lumbar puncture was done to draw spinal fluid (testing for meningitis.... which she did not have). They accidentally hit a nerve root, killed it and caused bleeding and scarring inside the dura that surrounds the spinal cord..... then years later, it just kinda got " stuck " down there. As she started growing taller, it pulled and stretched the spinal cord.... and we started seeing the effects: scoliosis, loss of function in her legs, tightening heel cords, etc. She had the cord surgically released in June of 2002, just before she turned 6..... a pretty simple surgery...... and actually started walking again two months later (she had first walked at age 4.... then stopped by age 4.5). Unfortunately, there is some residual nerve damage that looks like she will not recover from..... but her severe delays were masking the symptoms and it took longer to diagnose than it would have in a more typically developing kid. Anyway, anyone who knows there child has spina bifida occulta (SBO)...... or who's child has a dimple, birthmark or hairy patch on their lower back, at the base of the spine...... should read up on tethered cord (since it is usually associated with SBO) and be watchful for the symptoms. It's being diagnosed more and more these days...... but it's usually very treatable. Patti Question for Patti Hi Patti, Just rereading your post, and I noticed in your signature you mentioned tethered cord syndrome. I haven't heard of that...would you mind sharing what that is and the consequences for Katera? Thank you, Glenna " The Ketogenic Diet....a realistic treatment option, NOT just a last resort! " List is for parent to parent support only. It is important to get medical advice from a professional keto team! Subscribe: ketogenic-subscribe Unsubscribe: ketogenic-unsubscribe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.