Posted by Gracie2 on October 11, 2002, at 0:23:08
In reply to Re: Your friend - Shar, posted by McSweeney on October 10, 2002, at 23:00:03
I think you're talking to me since you mentioned my friend with Tourettes.
Since your son has not been officially diagnosed with Tourettes, I would not zero in on that syndrome and exclude all else. Although it's certainly possible that you, a layman, could spot
the symptoms that a professional missed in tests,
it may also be a case of "too much information" on your part, leading you to panic and misdiagnose.I would like to tell you about a dramatic example.
I used to work at a well-known childrens' hospital
that specialized in orthopedic surgery. It was also a "teaching hospital" where residents performed orthopedic surgery under the supervision of a trained surgeon. Many of the children who underwent surgery of the hips suffered from severe cerebral palsy - they would never walk, surgery or no surgery.
A long-time employee of the hospital used to tell anyone who would listen that these children with CP would endure hip surgery only because the residents needed the practice...why else do surgery on a patient that would never walk? I came to believe it, and so did most of the other hospital employees.
After some years I developed a close relationship with a resident doctor (normally they were so busy and harried that you could never talk to them at any length), and I brought up the sinister fact that these poor children were being operated on because the residents needed the practice. It was obvious. Hip surgery on a permanently non-ambulatory child was unnecessary,
anybody could see that.The resident was shocked. Of course it was necessary, he said. In the first place, these children with severe cerebral palsy suffered from
limbs that were so tightly drawn, it was difficult to cleanse their genitals. More importantly, it was uncomfortable or even painful
for them to sit upright, and hip surgery provided
mobility and made it possible for them sit and travel in a wheelchair without pain. Without surgery, they would be permanently bedridden.I felt so stupid - I had honestly believed that
there couldn't be any reason to do hip surgery on a non-ambulatory patient. I didn't have enough information.So please do not focus on a single diagnosis without complete information. I understand how you feel - I love my own son more than life itself, and your willingness to home-school your
son is a great act of love. Still, you must be careful to not to smother him - then you open up a whole new can of pyschiatric worms.Watch him, love him, but don't seclude him. Make sure he interacts with other children. Guide him as he grows older, listen to him when he talks, let him know that he's loved and wanted. Most of all, try to quit worrying and enjoy him. They're grown and gone before you know it.
-Gracie
P.S. I love you, Jake.
poster:Gracie2
thread:122505
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021006/msgs/123177.html