what is the life expectancy of a small child with hydroceph?
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Want to pass on some information.\n\nFor hydrocephalus, Dinshah uses the Dinshah color Lemon and Indigo systemic (from hip to over the head) on the back and on the face. He also has a color suggestion when there is paralysis involved.\n\nThe color Lemon is used for persistent disorders, the color Indigo for arresting discharges, e.g. too much fluid in the brain.\n\nDinshah Color MedicineTM is so gentle that you may want to try it. It may take a while to see a change but it may come with persistence. Dinshah had helped a girl, paralyzed from birth on, to walk normally within three years!\n\nPlease see the sources below for more info.\n\nLet the light shine! Cordially, India.Magica
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Kerrie-\n\nWow, that's a big question.  First of all I'm a parent, not a neurosurgeon so don't take this as gospel.  My daughter is almost five and has spina bifida, hydrocephalus and Chiari-2 malformation.  She also has a g-tube (more on that later) but has not suffered from seizures.  She has had the Chiari surgery (it's called decompression) at a very young age-about 13 mos-because her Chiari is pretty pronounced and prior to the surgery she would quickly become sympomatic if her shunt failed (I think we're on about the 20th shunt!).  She was also de-tethered at the beginning of last year because of severe lower back pain.\n\nBasically Chiari means that the brain is shifted down and back in the skull.  This forces the brain stem down into a sort of funnel where it connects to the spinal cord.  When pressure builds in the brain the stem is compressed and nerves are temporarily or permanently damaged.  Typically the nerves that are affected control upper neck and head stuff- breathing, swallowing, vocal cord mobility, etc.  My daughter's cords were paralyzed at 6 mos which caused stridor and aspiration of small amounts of food- hence the g-tube.  During the Chiari decompression surgery bone is removed from around the brain stem making more room for the stem- when the pressure increases there is less effect on the nerves in the stem because there is more room.\n\nTethered cord means that the cord is attached to either the spinal column or scar tissue (in the case of spina bifida).  As the person grows the cord is stretched instead of floating in the CSF in the column.  Stretching the cord usually causes a loss of mobility but can cause back pain.  Actually you are the first parent I've heard from whose child is experiencing pain like my daughter did- usually mobility is the issue.\n\nIs your son suffering from lower back pain?  I haven't heard of Chiari causing back pain but I'm a salesman, not a neurosurgeon.  What I have learned is that the brain and spinal cord are all floating in one interconnected and balanced system of fluid.  Pressure building in one part of the system can cause issues with other parts of the system.  Unfortunately I've also learned that neurosurgery is basically a science of highly educated opinions.  Only so much can show up on an MRI and there are no hard-and-fast rules.  Some kids can tolerate a lot of ventrical pressure and some can't.  Some kids have severe Chiari but are never decompressed because they never show any symptoms- basically their nervous systems can just deal with it.  Some kids lose mobility when their cords are tehtered and others are in pain... you get the point.  At the end of the day it comes down to how much you trust and respect the surgeon and what they are basing their actions on.\n\nI still haven't answered your question, have I?  If your son is experiencing back I would think it's probably caused by the tethered cord so it makes sense that the surgeon wants to do that first.  It really doesn't matter, anyway.  If the cord is tethered that has to be fixed whether it's the cause of the pain or not.  For my daughter the de-tethering was much more difficult to recover from than the decompression surgery but the surgeons were clear that because of the amount of scar tissue from her spina bifida repair that it was probably the most complicated one they had seen.  The decompression was much simlpler- surgery took a few hours and she was home in a week.  It took her a while to get full mobility back in her neck (the surgery is done at the base of the neck) but that was just from the surgical pain.  The Chiari symptoms eased almost instantly and the whole thing was behind us in a month or so.  De-tethering was a much longer procedure with 6+ weeks in the hospital but again her procedure was VERY complicated because of her unique circumstances.  The pain went away after the surgery healed and two months after surgery she wa
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the lowest Temperature would be about 94 but dont leave it thou,call your gp or go straight to the hospital,give the child calpol and damp hes body with water.
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It varies among people.  If one follows the doctors protocol, and takes care of themselves they can do much better than those who do not.  I have Cystic Fibrosis and the average lifespan now is 35, yet I am 49 and raised my twins into adulthood.  I was told this disease would take my life before age 13, when I was only 8.  I have always followed Dr. orders, done breathing treatments taken medications, eaten right, and seen the Dr. when I start to have problems!  I live to tell others to hang in there and do your best to take care of yourself!  God is also a major part of my life and has truly blessed me!
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The following website shows that life expectancy of a white male infant born in 1900 was 47 years.  In 2000, the life expectancy of an infant is 75 years.\n\n75 - 47 = 28 years longer life expectancy\n28 / 47 = 0.595744681 or 59.57%\n\nThe respective life expectancy increases were 106% for white females, 63% for black males and 121% for black females.\n\nI don't know the full parameters of your question (such as expectancy of an infant vs. an adult, etc.)  But whatever the details, it would seem it would have to be the largest number you have:\n\nGiven your choices the best answer is D. 55%
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Cerebral palsy though not curable has a much better prognosis now than before. From your question your child appears to have hemiplegic cerebral palsy which has a better prognosis.\n\nYou have to see a Physiatrist/physiotherapist and watch the exercises being done and train your child at home. The exercises will be changed in a step by step manner depending on the progress your child is making. She also needs to see lots of colors, hear lots of sound and music.,made to feel different objects and textures. This will require a lot of patience and effort on your part but I'm sure that eventually the outcome will be good.
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Did you take an oral temp?  96 is low normal for a five year old. I'd be more concerned with the vomiting. Young children dehydrate much faster than adults.  Take her to your ped doctor today.
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Unfortunately I don't know of a web site for you  ---  but my son has a VP Shunt for the same cause - congenital hydrocephalus.  His neurosurgeon actually allowed our daughter to "borrow" a VP Shunt to do a "show & tell" in school years ago.\n\nMy son is nearly 23 now and doing great.  Had his first shunt when he was 4 days old.  \n\nTalk to your doc and ask to "see & hold" one... that might help you to understand it more.
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Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder of bone growth that is evident at birth. It affects about one in every 25,000 births and it occurs in all races and in both sexes. Its depiction in ancient Egyptian art makes it one of the oldest recorded birth defects.\nThe vast majority of individuals with achondroplasia have normal intelligence and lead healthy, independent, and productive lives (Rogers et al, 1979). Rarely, intelligence may be affected secondary to hydrocephalus or other CNS complications. \n\nMean adult height is approximately 131 cm + 5.6 for males and 124 cm + 5.9 for females. Presence of severe disproportionate short stature can cause a number of psychosocial problems. \n\nLife span for heterozygous achondroplasia is usually normal unless there are serious complications. A mean life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the general population (Hecht et al, 1987). \n\nHomozygous achondroplasia is a lethal condition with severe respiratory distress caused by rib-cage deformity. Radiographic changes are much more severe than the heterozygous achondroplasia. The patients die soon after birth.
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Bring in a baby tree in a small clay pot.  \nDo they all reach their life expectancy?  \nWhat is the cause of death.  Without cancer, heart disease, etc.  fewer diseases yet shorter life spans than humans.  Murder!
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it's doubtful unless your son has a terminal illness and is not expected to live much longer.
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It should only be a few days, but I've had people live for up to a week and a 1/2 - 2 weeks. The body can't live very long w/o water but people sometimes do live longer than expected. A lot of the time families will have the doctor put in a feeding tube to give them nourishment, but if a person stops eating and drinking then that usually means they are ready to go and using the feeding tube is keeping them from passing. You have to think about what they would have wanted. I wish you well.
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My 18 month old daughter has tubes due to chronic ear infections.  We were told that they come out on their own within 6 months to 2 years.
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Dr. is just checking to make sure that there isn't a problem, you and baby are probably fine.  There is still time to turn from breech, they often don't settle head down for another month or so. \n\nMy littlest was in the 95th percentile too- for his head size!  (ow)  He was 8lbs 15oz.  \n\nYou will get more info from the high risk perinatologist.  It's just a precaution.  5% of babies are bigger than yours, which is still thousands of kids.  You also may be further along than they think.\n\nAll the best!
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upwards of 250,000.  Theri life expectancy is 7-years.  No joke.
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Most doctors consider a bedwetting child to be any girl older than age four and any boy over age five who wet the bed.  Bedwetting generally declines with age.  About 10% of all six year olds and about 3% of all 14 year olds wet the bed.  In a very small number of cases, bedwetting can continue into adulthood. \n\nCause:  Chronic bed-wetting is thought to be related to (1) a physically and/or neurologically immature bladder and/or (2) a deep sleeping pattern.  Apparently these children often sleep so deeply that they are not aware of the message the bladder sends to the brain saying it is full.  It is presumed that bed-wetting is an inherited condition.  Usually a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent or other family member(s) will have had the condition.  Also, children with attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities or allergies seem to be more likely to be bed-wetters than children in the general population.\nEffect of Bed-wetting on the Child and Family:  By the first grade, most children are embarrassed by their bed-wetting condition.  They ten to withdraw from social activities that require sleeping outside their home.  They also often suffer from low self-image.  These children's feelings can be greatly affected by the attitudes of their parents, who may feel that their efforts to end the bed-wetting have failed.  Parents may also feel frustrated, angry and embarrassed about their children's bed-wetting condition.  Parents can help their children reduce negative feelings about their bed-wetting condition and speed up the process of overcoming it, by offering positive support, understanding and encouragement.\n\nTreatment:\nFirst of all, almost all children outgrow their bed-wetting habit.  As children mature, their muscles become stronger and their bladder capacity increases.  They tend to sleep less deeply and to become more sensitive to messages the bladder sends to the brain.  There are two approaches to treatment: Medical or Behavioral.  The medical treatment usually consists of the use of one of two drugs:\n\nImipramine (Tofranil)  This drug is a tricyclic antidepressant.  It is thought to either improve the child's sleeping pattern to improve the functioning of the smooth muscles found in the bladder.  This medication brings some improvement to about 30% of the children who have tried it.  Often, the symptoms return when the medication is discontinued.  The drug can cause serious side effects and needs to be closely monitored by the prescribing physician.\n\nDesmpressin acetate  This drug is a synthetic form of the antidiuretic hormone and is administered as a nasal spray.  It helps the child's body make less urine, and thus lessens the risk that the child's bladder will overfill during sleep.  The medication often works quickly.  However, the condition may return after discontinuation of it's use.  While this medication is much safer than Imipramine, it still can cause some side effects.\n\nBehavioral treatment is often more effective and certainly is safer than medical treatment.  While behavioral treatment may take somewhat longer to show results, the improvement usually continues indefinitely.  There are several methods that may be helpful:\n\nRetention Control Training:  The child is asked to control urinating during the day by postponing it, first by a few minutes and then by gradually increased amounts of time.  This exercise can extent the capacity of the bladder and strengthen the muscle that holds back urination.  Parents should always check with a doctor before asking their child to practice retention control:\n\nNight-lifting:  This procedure involves waking your child periodically throughout the night, walking your child to the bathroom to urinate, and then returning your child to bed.  By teaching your child to awaken and to empty his or her bladder many times during the night, it is hoped that he or she will eventually stay dry.\n\nMoisture alarm:  Moisture alarms are consi
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It is very important for this child to take her antirejection drugs daily and in the proper doses. It doesnt take long for the immune system to realize that the heart in her chest is foreign(not her own) and cause rejection. It would be so sad to lose her and the new heart since someone else had to die for her to have that heart. It is a blessed gift to be cherished and nurtured in all ways possible..Good luck and see Cardiologist ASAP>>>>Nita RN