HELP! Trauma SCI - Child

[scihelp]

HELP!  Trauma SCI - Child

Help!  Please!  Child!   We are so Worried!!!  
Herniated Disc and Impingement of Spinal Nerve Root - MRI - looks scarey!
We are hearing - nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus, spinal nerve root compression, disc bulging, spinous processes, dura mater (thecal sac) and cauda equina compression.
We are told the LP needle and catheter  so many time and VERY force full - over shot the dura mater (?) Childs was sedated - out! for approx. 2 week. After being airlift / ems ground transported. Transported to a 2nd hospital an IV caffeine drip and 3/5 days later - 2 blood patches the Anesthesiologist said he couldn’t do anything more to help child, that it was something more serious than he could fix!
He seemed very concerned!
Unbelievably, we were the next am released from the hospital for what they wrote - discharged for syncope!!!!  OMG!
Crazy - right! ok!
Child has been bed ridden, doesn't walk barely stands - pain is very bad! Some symptoms Back, legs, tingle, numb at times, Bladder leaks and sometimes says has to go and can't! The scariest for me is when body gets COLD! knee to feet - feet ice cold and elbow to hands , hands freezing cold and sometimes child mid area too! We use the electric blanket 24 / 7!  I took her back to ER - even though they seem afraid to move child - they send us away saying not life or death and go to a specialist. We don’t know what to do! Other than not to move child much until we can find a Dr. to look and listen to the details of the injury. Instead of looking at a discharge paper that says syncope!

We have some records, MRI pics show bulge, herniation and stuff protruding out.

We were told not to let anyone pressure child to do anything that hurts (including physical therapy) being as child is bed ridden still, UNTIL we have some definitive answers as to the injury - as not to cause child more, or possibly irreversible permanent damage!

If you have any advice or suggestions please reply!      Thank You
.

[vix1pal]

Also get untouched with that aenistesiologist ask for help and who they suggest as the best to take care of her!  This person is probably the most important contact you have..... contact that doctor and get every single record you can!!!!!

[vix1pal]

Oh I am so sorry for your baby.  A few yrs ago I had emergency surgery for that same thing.  Where do you live?  You absolutely need to get her in with a neurosurgeon.  Steroids might help some along with ibuprofen( if she can take it)  I can tell you they are afraid of being sued... which might not be a bad idea but dealing with your family doctor should get her admitted so she doesn't have to deal with the ER doctors.  I is considered severe or emergency when there is loss of bowel or bladder control!  If this was all from spinal tap you also need to keep an eye out for signs of infection.  You should defiantly call every doctor you have ever dealt with to find out who the best neurosurgeon and best orthopedic back surgeon.  If you are still not getting answers get copies of all medical reports and tests and call the closest children's hospital.  Trust me I know just how bad spinal stenosis is and she probably is hiding some of the pain.  I think a bullet would have hurt less!!!!!

She most likely will need a laminectomy which in my case wasn't as painful as I imagined.... a neurosurgeon (I pediatrichave if possible) makes an incision and when they get to the disc they basically trim it back to a better shape.  Pretty quickly I had less pain I did have to do pt but it helped... I went back to work too soon and reimburse mine in a serious fall so I had to have mine fused.  I truly believe you will have to make a stink to get help.... but call a neurosurgeon and beg make sure to tell them bowel / bladder issues and spinal tap.  If possible go to a different ER.  When she says she can't urinate or legs are really cold call 911 that is a spinal injury and should be treated as such!  If it happened at this hospital I would tend to not trust them very much and look elsewhere.  Make sure she is taking some type of anti-inflammatory medicine and ice for about 15-20min every hour(to keep legs warmer do gentle massage only as much as she is comfortable with)  
   There is no excuse for them turning her away.... she should be on pain anti inflammatory meds and be cathereterized at the minimum.  The faster you can get them to move the lower the chance of permanent injury... but honestly for another trip to the hospital I would tend to have her taken by ambulance to have her back immobolized and ER staff seem to pay spittle extra attention to a kid coming out of an ambulance.  
   What ever you do keep careful notes of everything going on with dates times and names... these things can happen with a spinal tap but the treatment afterwards is pretty inexcusable.  Good luck to you both and I hope your little angel feels better soon

[achilles2]

I am so sorry that your family has gone through so much.
Have you tried taking her to a university hospital?

achilles2