Neurology, Sickness

Willam's neurologist called to update us on the re-read of the MRI that was done at Children's Dallas. The Neurological damage that was seen after his birth is still there, and it's still significant, both sides of his brain, and also his cerebellum.

From Wikipedia:
The cerebellum (Latin for little brain) is a region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. It is also involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language, and probably in some emotional functions such as regulating fear and pleasure responses.[1] Its movement-related functions are the most clearly understood, however. The cerebellum does not initiate movement, but it contributes to coordination, precision, and accurate timing. It receives input from sensory systems and from other parts of the brain and spinal cord, and integrates these inputs to fine tune motor activity.[2] Because of this fine-tuning function, damage to the cerebellum does not cause paralysis, but instead produces disorders in fine movement, equilibrium, posture, and motor learning.[2]

She also continued to mention how she couldn't support us not starting him on seizure medication and suggested that we find a new neurologist that would support us in this regard.

I called our pediatrician about this and she also suggested another neurologist that could possibly support us in pursuing our options regarding seizure treatment. We are working with our pediatrician, on improving his nutrition to raise the seizure threshold. We seem to have some success so far, we've gone from seizures once a week in November, and beginning of December to spreading out in December to once every two weeks at the end of December and hopefully back to once a month in January.

I have to admit it's hard looking at him at this point at 2 almost 3 and seeing exactly what he can't do, how he can't participate like his brothers, like his twin. With the constant reminder every day that Micah talks to us, and tells us stories, but William is only able to grunt and smile. But at the same time it's encouraging to see his likes and dislikes and how he communicates those to us. He still tries so hard, you can tell when he wants up by how he hold his hands and tries to lift his head, or if his unhappy with his brothers for how they were too rough, or how he smiles at them when they talk so sweet to him.

Then what makes it even harder is to see him sick, laying down no desire to move, like the spark is gone from his eyes. Struggling for a cough, struggling to breath, struggling to move a single muscle in his body. What's a simple cold for you or I (medina) virus in this case, similar to the flu, or RSV, has wiped him out for 2-3+ weeks. Oxygen Saturation low, coughing fits at night, breathing treatments, sleep schedule all messed up, sleeping till noon every day, unable to eat anything, trouble with liquids even via feeding tube, too much and he's vomiting mucous, too little and he's feverish and dehydrated. A big reminder of why we have to be careful of exposure to sick people. He very easily could have been in the hospital with this one, if it wasn't for the wonderful night nurses giving him fluids, keeping him hydrated, and giving breathing treatments, suctioning, and CPT. For the last two weeks every 3-4 hours at night. We caught it early enough and started the breathing treatments. Also at the beginning the nurses were faithful to show up. So he didn't miss breathing treatments at night.