Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Rebecca--health update

Rebecca saw a WONDERFUL pediatric neurologist (Dr. Kimberly Limbo in Huntsville) yesterday. When she examined Rebecca, she noted that she had increased tone in her left leg. She also noticed her wide-based gait and that she doesn't pick up her left foot as well as her right. (Rebecca's walking and running has improved so much since we have had her, we hadn't thought much about it anymore.) Anyway, the doctor felt that there is a possibility that Rebecca may have had a small embolic stroke when she was younger (facilitated by the large ASD that she had). She said she likely had a complex partial seizure on Saturday. The EEG was normal, but that is not unusual since it only shows a 30-minute window of her brain activity. She said that people with known epilepsy will have a normal EEG 30-50 % of the time. So, really no info can be gleaned from that unless it is abnormal. She did not place Rebecca on medication, but did state that she would have a very low threshold for doing so should Rebecca have another seizure. She has an MRI scheduled for May 12th.
The stroke hypothesis has just resonated with me since the doctor suggested it. It would explain so much of the puzzle with Rebecca. She is making huge developmental gains now, but in an orphanage environment, any additional problem, albeit small, could have had a compounding effect on her development.
Thank you all for your prayers and concern.

6 comments:

Sonya said...

Keeping you guys in our prayers!

Becky said...

Sounds like pretty good news! Your theory on it makes alot of sense. Hope you get good news after the MRI, too. Becky

Tina said...

Emily,
Sounds like Rebecca had a great birthday, sorry we missed it.
Please know that we will be praying for her, keep us updated.
Tina

lvining said...

I have been waiting to hear how the Dr.'s visit went! Keep us updated! We are thinking about you!

The Ferrill's said...

Hey Emily, thank you for the update. We are praying for Rebecca. AND for you! I know from a mom's perspective how unsettling all of the unknowns can be. Thankfully we know the Lord has a mighty plan for this little girl...beginning with your family bringing her home! ;)

Doug and Melody Kemp said...

We are so glad everything went well.
And we will continue to pray for complete healing for this problem.
It doesn't sound or look like it slows her down.

Love,
Doug, Melody, Zoey