The Official Medical Report…

Mail came today. And with it, the official medical report and diagnosis.

This, friends, is it…I’ll do through it below.

Sacral: refers to the position of the lesion. In the picture below, it’s the lowest area.
Myelomeningocele: the most serious form of spina bifida. In babies with a myelomeningocele, the bones of the spine (vertebrae) don’t form properly. This lets a small sac extend through an opening in the spine. The sac is covered with a membrane. It holds cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and tissues that protect the spinal cord (meninges). The sac may also contain portions of the spinal cord and nerves. The sac itself may be opened up either before birth or during the birth. (see more from Seattle Children’s here)
Chiari II malformation: the bottom part of your child’s cerebellum (cerebellar tonsils) or brainstem is coming down into the space where the spinal cord enters the spine (cervical spinal canal). More info here, along with symptoms and associated issues.
Lateral ventriculomegaly: the fluid filled structures in the brain are enlarged, likely precursor to hydrocephalus.
Bilateral clubfoot deformities: clubfoot is when babies are born with one foot or both feet pointing down and in, toward the opposite leg. With Evanna, it may or may not be the case, since there are times when babies in her position in the womb (sitting pretty much cross-legged, or in a near-lotus position) can appear like they are. But we won’t know for sure until birth. Treatable.

So that is the medical side of things…it seems like a lot. And in some ways it is, but the prognosis is good, which I’ve already written about here.

Could you help?

Mail came today. And with it, the official medical report and diagnosis. This, friends, is it…I’ll do through it below. Sacral: refers to the position of the lesion. In the picture below, it’s the lowest area. Myelomeningocele: the most serious form of spina bifida. In babies with a myelomeningocele, the bones of the spine (vertebrae)…