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Tell me this isn't depression... with a little hypomania thrown in for good measure.
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<blockquote data-quote="gcvmom" data-source="post: 493761" data-attributes="member: 3444"><p>Buddy, I think that husband's cavernoma was very small for a very long time. Here's why:</p><p></p><p>He'd been having sensory symptoms for about 5 years (it did seem to coincide with starting stims for his ADHD symptoms) when he "passed out" while driving to work. That led to an MRI a few days later which showed NOTHING to the attending neuro from the ER. </p><p></p><p>He continued to have symptoms for two more years, all the while we consulted cardiology, ENT, psychiatrist and GP. No one could figure it out. I'd been researching my butt off and found out about autonomic seizures. The symptoms fit, so the last time we went to the GP I asked the question. He agreed it was worth another trip to the neuro. We met with the neuro and without ordering any more tests referred us to an epilepsy specialist at a local teaching hospital. We gave that doctor the original MRI to review. He called and said he saw a very small abnormality in the right temp lobe and wanted new films since it had been two years. The NEW film showed that there was indeed a cavernoma in that spot and it had TRIPLED in size during that time.</p><p></p><p>So the fact that it was barely visible when he was symptomatic leads me to believe that it probably wasn't there or was very, very small to start with. It's possible the stims caused it to grow, it's possible his slightly elevated blood pressure caused it to grow, it's possible the ibuprofen he would pop like candy for back pain or other aches caused it to grow/leak (anything that increases intracranial pressure or thins the blood can wreck havoc with these). There are admittedly a lot of factors that could have caused it to grow.</p><p></p><p>I don't believe he has the type that is genetically influenced. Mainly because it's the only one they've ever found in his brain, which at this point has been examined extensively on film. </p><p></p><p>I did join the Angioma Alliance when I was researching all this to figure out what was going on. I feel we are particularly blessed that this was not in a bad spot -- there are so many things that can go wrong with this malformations and I've read about some very very sad cases. I'm so sorry that Q has had to deal with something like this and on such a large scale -- a tomato-size cavernoma is HUGE for anyone, much less a child! </p><p></p><p>I'm sure some of husband's issues are connected to the cavernoma -- I know his memory has never been great and it's actually become worse since his surgery. But he's also had head injuries from wrestling and football as a kid, so when you lump all the physical insults with the mental health issues, it's a wonder he functions as well as he does. </p><p></p><p>I do know that there are a lot of things that can still be improved for him given the proper medications -- I've seen improvements in difficult child 2, so that gives me hope, and it keeps the door open a crack for difficult conversations to be started since we all know it's a reality in this family.</p><p></p><p>Hope springs eternal...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gcvmom, post: 493761, member: 3444"] Buddy, I think that husband's cavernoma was very small for a very long time. Here's why: He'd been having sensory symptoms for about 5 years (it did seem to coincide with starting stims for his ADHD symptoms) when he "passed out" while driving to work. That led to an MRI a few days later which showed NOTHING to the attending neuro from the ER. He continued to have symptoms for two more years, all the while we consulted cardiology, ENT, psychiatrist and GP. No one could figure it out. I'd been researching my butt off and found out about autonomic seizures. The symptoms fit, so the last time we went to the GP I asked the question. He agreed it was worth another trip to the neuro. We met with the neuro and without ordering any more tests referred us to an epilepsy specialist at a local teaching hospital. We gave that doctor the original MRI to review. He called and said he saw a very small abnormality in the right temp lobe and wanted new films since it had been two years. The NEW film showed that there was indeed a cavernoma in that spot and it had TRIPLED in size during that time. So the fact that it was barely visible when he was symptomatic leads me to believe that it probably wasn't there or was very, very small to start with. It's possible the stims caused it to grow, it's possible his slightly elevated blood pressure caused it to grow, it's possible the ibuprofen he would pop like candy for back pain or other aches caused it to grow/leak (anything that increases intracranial pressure or thins the blood can wreck havoc with these). There are admittedly a lot of factors that could have caused it to grow. I don't believe he has the type that is genetically influenced. Mainly because it's the only one they've ever found in his brain, which at this point has been examined extensively on film. I did join the Angioma Alliance when I was researching all this to figure out what was going on. I feel we are particularly blessed that this was not in a bad spot -- there are so many things that can go wrong with this malformations and I've read about some very very sad cases. I'm so sorry that Q has had to deal with something like this and on such a large scale -- a tomato-size cavernoma is HUGE for anyone, much less a child! I'm sure some of husband's issues are connected to the cavernoma -- I know his memory has never been great and it's actually become worse since his surgery. But he's also had head injuries from wrestling and football as a kid, so when you lump all the physical insults with the mental health issues, it's a wonder he functions as well as he does. I do know that there are a lot of things that can still be improved for him given the proper medications -- I've seen improvements in difficult child 2, so that gives me hope, and it keeps the door open a crack for difficult conversations to be started since we all know it's a reality in this family. Hope springs eternal... [/QUOTE]
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