few days ago i got to talking to the waitress at the local diner - she told me about her grand daughter who is 3 years old and diagnosed with CP (ceribral palsey)
i know very little about this condition
she went on to tell me how her daughter started screaming bloody murder one day about neck pain
she lives in columbia county NY which has one of the highest incident rates of lyme i the country
after repeated visits to the local hospital and her asking the dr numerious times to check her for lyme the dr finally got around to it
prior to the positive lyme test the child had a spinal tap for menangitis (sp)
the doctor told her "it cant be lyme or it would have shown up in her spinal tap and there is no inflamation"
boy i heard that and i was ****ed off
like a good mom she still insisted on the test and it came out positive
they told her to come back for more testing to confirm diagnoses
without having anymore tech. info i explained to her form our experience what happened to us and told her to beware
i said:
when we had our first + test result it was an Elisa (cheaper for insurance co.) then later we had a western blot that came out neg.
so of course the doc said the first test was a false positive (typical)
but they did give her 6 weeks amoxacilian (i dont know dosage)
i explained to her that the abx perscribed would mess up and results from the WB and make it less likely for her to test positive
i also told her the testing is not 100% and a neg. test means very little
i dont want ot scare the se people or lead them into a false diag. since i now very little about CP
does anyone else here ever had there child misdiagnosed with CP and actually had lyme?
this is there concern?
strangely (statisticly speaking) 2 other close family members who live in the same cnty have children diagnosed with down syndrome and autism
my plan is to foward your responses to the grandmother so they can do whats best for the children
they do have insurance but they do not have alot of money (i know how that is) so they cant afford to spend 600+ dollars on a lyme literate doctor (LLD) doc who doesnt except insurance
Posts: 25 | From Florida | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Wow, I have rarely heard of Cerebral Palsy showing up after birth. Maybe a long long time ago polio had something to do with it. They say that palsy could be the result of brain damage. My father was born with Cerebral Palsy. His complication is walking.
The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don't worsen over time.
Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn't caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements. The majority of children with cerebral palsy are born with it, although it may not be detected until months or years later.
The early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before a child reaches 3 years of age. The most common are a lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia); stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity); walking with one foot or leg dragging; walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a ``scissored'' gait; and muscle tone that is either too stiff or too floppy.
A small number of children have cerebral palsy as the result of brain damage in the first few months or years of life, brain infections such as bacterial meningitis or viral encephalitis, or head injury from a motor vehicle accident, a fall, or child abuse.
Is there any treatment?
Cerebral palsy can't be cured, but treatment will often improve a child's capabilities. Many children go on to enjoy near-normal adult lives if their disabilities are properly managed.
In general, the earlier treatment begins the better chance children have of overcoming developmental disabilities or learning new ways to accomplish the tasks that challenge them.
Treatment may include physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, drugs to control seizures, relax muscle spasms, and alleviate pain; surgery to correct anatomical abnormalities or release tight muscles; braces and other orthotic devices; wheelchairs and rolling walkers; and communication aids such as computers with attached voice synthesizers.
What is the prognosis?
Cerebral palsy doesn't always cause profound disabilities. While one child with severe cerebral palsy might be unable to walk and need extensive, lifelong care, another with mild cerebral palsy might be only slightly awkward and require no special assistance.
Supportive treatments, medications, and surgery can help many individuals improve their motor skills and ability to communicate with the world.
What research is being done?
Researchers are investigating the roles of mishaps early in brain development, including genetic defects, which are sometimes responsible for the brain malformations and abnormalities that result in cerebral palsy.
Scientists are also looking at traumatic events in newborn babies' brains, such as bleeding, epileptic seizures, and breathing and circulation problems, which can cause the abnormal release of chemicals that trigger the kind of damage that causes cerebral palsy.
To make sure children are getting the right kinds of therapies, studies are also being done that evaluate both experimental treatments and treatments already in use so that physicians and parents have valid information to help them choose the best therapy.
I hope this info. helps. proudmom
-------------------- "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"--Carl Sagan Posts: 317 | From Kansas and New Jersey | Registered: May 2008
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