This Is Not the Answer You’re Looking For

Back in October, our Mr. C was hospitalized for a bowel clean out. He has chronic issues in this department, and this is not our first time in the hospital for it. You can read my post about the last time here.

When the hospital took an x-ray to determine the scope of the blockage, they discovered what could be Spina Bifida Occulta. It sounds strange to say that we were thrilled with that finding but, in a way, we were. It answered so many questions and seemed to solve the puzzle about his chronic issues.

We are still waiting on our follow up appointment with the GI doctor that admitted C to the hospital for treatment of the blockage but, being the impatient person that I am, I called our regular pediatrician. I needed to know more about this finding and did not want to wait. What do we do? How do we help him? I had so many questions.

While meeting with the doctor, I explained to him how I had read the radiologist’s report and it said that C had this issue but no one at the hospital mentioned it to us. Did they not view it as an issue because he had something more immediate to deal with? Does he actually have this diagnosis now? The doctor was curious about it and dug a bit deeper. Apparently, Spina Bifida Occulta is extremely common. So much so that, if there are no symptoms or signs of it causing problems, they basically ignore it. The thing is, C says he can’t feel the urge to go potty, he can’t feel it when he leaks, he can’t feel it when he actually does go potty, and he often complains of his legs being sore and tired. He has these neurological symptoms that are often caused by Spina Bifida. Doc agrees that it’s worth investigation, so he decided an MRI is needed to find out more about what is actually going on in that area of the spine.

So, last week, we got the MRI done. Mr. C was so brave and he did so well but, as a mom, I struggled. All week, people have asked how I was doing. Was I worried? I thought: “Nah, I’ve had an MRI scan and it was a breeze. We’ve been through worse things. This will be a breeze too.” Then the day of the scan came, and I changed my tune. Because of the duration of the scan, he was sedated with a light general anesthesia. It is never easy to see your child be put through any procedure but, the staff was wonderful and kept me informed along the way so that I worried less. It was only took an hour but felt like forever. Before he woke up, I was taken to the recovery room to be there for him when he woke up. Poor guy– he woke with a pounding headache and was nauseated. It took longer to pass than most, but he was a trooper for being able to deal with all that on the trip home.

We were told to wait a few days before we’d have any results from the scan. That evening though, we got a call from the pediatrician’s office. “The scans for the MRI were normal,” my husband was told by the nurse. Of course, I’m in shock. What does that even mean, “normal?” Was there nothing more? Then I was furious. The scans must be wrong. Spina Bifida must be what we are dealing with. It makes so much sense. It is the missing puzzle piece. Of course, by now, it’s after-hours on a Friday night. I could get nowhere with my wrath. That was probably a good thing so that I didn’t make a pest of myself.

Sunday afternoon, I realize I’m still too fired up and unsure about the situation and decide to email our pediatrician instead of calling first thing Monday. This allows me to moderate my questions and give the doc a chance to answer without feeling verbally attacked by a crazy helicopter mom.

First thing in the morning, I received a very brief email from him. An apology for the confusion, and a clarification. The MRI showed that C, in fact, did NOT have Spina Bifida. The only next step he could think of was trying to work with a physical therapist to strengthen C’s pelvic floor muscles.

We’re, understandably, very disappointed but, we will be seeing what the therapist we’re already working with can do for us, based on these results. The saga continues, but for now Spina Bifida was not the answer we were looking for.