Tuesday, June 06, 2006


Neurologist appointment


Our appointment was for 3.15pm - yet we didn't get in to see Dr Andrews until almost 5pm Isla was getting a tad cranky and I was bored out of my mind - couldn't even watch Big Brother on my mobile because I'd run out of battery!!


Once we finally got in to see him, he studied Isla quite meticulously, he is indeed a very 'unique' man. He'd be asking me questions and interrupt himself by commenting on how cute Isla was!!


He said that in his opinion she was/is a "textbook diplegic" but he wants to prove this hypothesis (his words!) he's a bit of a crack up. Basically, he said that he *thinks* Isla has CP but there is a very slight chance that it is something else (hereditary) - but what that is he didn't elaborate. He said that in order to prove his theory, he'd need to do an MRI. He said that because Ian and I are so young (both 24) and that we're both healthy/no family history, it is probably more a case of 'bad luck' that Isla has CP.


He helped me understand what role my Placenta Praevia played in the CP. He said that the part of the babies brains that control movement develop most during 25-32weeks. I suffered 12 bleeds from 22-35 weeks. He asked when I first felt movement while pregnant, and commented how 15 weeks was early and then asked if Isla was active throughout the pregnancy, which she definitely was - even when I was bleeding she would tumble & jive He said that because Isla was so active, she would require more blood from the placenta to keep up with her, and that because I was loosing blood, the part that became compromised was her brain - and as the brain cells don't regenerate she was left with CP. He also said that the Placenta Praevia was also a case of 'bad luck'.


He said that he wants to definitely confirm it is CP so that Ian and I can go on TTC#2 without any worry - which is reassuring to me. He is going to book us in for an MRI at the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick sometime in October - which isn't too long to wait.
Overall, Im pretty pleased with how today went. He said that the majority of Diplegic children have no intellectual impairment, and he commented that she was very very bright


We see him again in November.


One thing he did that I thought was VERY weird, while he was asking me q's about Isla, he said, "Does she look like Dad?" and I said, "yes, she's Ian all over" and he wrote in his notes, "looks like Dad" what the???