perinatal intracerebral hemorrhage and hyperactivity

[NicosMom]

Please forgive my lack of medical knowledge.

I went into spontaneous labor at 35 1/2 weeks after a healthy pregnancy and gave birth to a 6 lb, 6 oz baby boy, Apgar 10. When my son was twenty-four hours old, the side of his head swelled with fluid (especially around his eye) and blood could be seen seeping through the back of his skull. It had been determined that a long labor (thirty hours with no cervix dilation) had caused movement of the plates in his skull and thus, the hemorrhage. At the time, he was given ultrasounds and MRIs and the neurologist concluded that there was no long-term damage.
Once home, he would not breastfeed. Wouldn't latch on. I switched him to formula, which he more often than not vomited up. When we started solid foods, he would not eat vegetables or any fruit besides bananas. None. He would vomit up EVERYTHING that was not either rice cereal or bananas. (He could tell the difference between rice cereal and wheat cereal and he would NOT eat the wheat) I could not even mix trace amounts of veggies into his cereal or he would *know*, even when I prepared it out of his sight. It's like it was instinctual. He soon graduated to mac & cheese, Cheerios and the occasional grilled cheese, but by 9 months old, he had still never ingested any vegetables. (My pediatrician told me the baby was manipulating me.)

He would only eat yellow food.

Up until he was 20 months, he vomited in his sleep, regardless of sleep position... that is, WHEN he would sleep. At 6 weeks, he was sleeping only 18 hours a day. By a year, he was sleeping 8 hours a night. He never napped. EVER. He would not sleep during daylight hours, even when put in a darkened room. When he was 8 weeks old, we drove 5 hours to my mother's house and he did not close his eyes ONCE. In 5 hours! In the car! He never slept in the car, never in the store in his carrier. The slightest noise would awaken him.

He also had extreme constipation from 6 - 16 months. He would go DAYS without a bowel movement and then when he finally DID, it was painful and he would bleed. Again, I was told I was being manipulated. (To what end, I do not know.) I had to resort to enemas and mineral oil to battle the constipation since his diet was not conducive to healthy digestion.
(FYI: Don't know if it is relevant, but during the first two years of his life, we lived in a building known to have contained lead paint at one time. The windowsills and door jambs were treated yearly by maintenance. He has been tested for lead throughout his life and has never been found positive.)
SO, my son did not start walking until 16 months and did not say his first word ("dada") until his second birthday. He never babbled "mama" "dada" like most babies and it was rare for him to wave "byebye" or interact with people as an infant and early toddler. At 18 months we had him tested for hearing loss and screened for autism, though neither seemed to be the cause of his delayed development. He was a very quiet baby, crying only during times of pain (from bowel movements) or hunger (because he would vomit up everything he ate). He potty trained easily at 28 months and pretty much never had accidents. Once potty trained, the bowel movements became easier and the constipation ceased.

He learned to read at 4 and impressed everyone in kindergarten with his propensity for math and science. He was labeled "gifted" though when he switched schools in first grade, the new school found him "too hyper" for their gifted program.

At 5, I took him to a new doctor for the vomiting, as it was disrupting his days at school. He would cough so violently that he would throw up several times a day. He was tentatively diagnosed with "asthma" or "allergies", though he was too young for the breathing tests and was given an inhaler which did nothing for him. This is also the time that he developed frequent nosebleeds, which continue today.

He is now 9 and he is incredibly hyperactive. It's constant. He CANNOT control himself, especially his talking and noise-making.  We have tried Ritalin, Adderall (adderrall) and most recently Strattera, but none of them seemed to put a dent in his energy level, and each had a side effect which caused us to discontinue use. I have also begun changing his diet to eliminate dairy, certain food colorings and other chemicals, though getting him to follow any sort of diet is next to impossible. He still does not eat vegetables at all. He gags upon each bite, even when left alone to eat. (I've spied on him.) Meals that are not either frozen pizzas or Spaghettios end in tears. He also rejects most meats and only seems to like starches and sugar, though we limit sugary treats as much as we can. His weight has suffered due to his self-imposed diet (the school regularly sends me letters warning of his low weight and 3rd percentile BMI) and he often skips lunch at school, though you'd never know it based on his energy level.

He is very smart and has an incredible memory for the smallest of details, though easily frustrated by schoolwork. His long term memory amazes me sometimes. He can recall random facts and statistics from a library book that he read three years ago, but he cannot remember to put on his coat five minutes after being told to do so.

He is easily distracted (and distracting) but focuses well on things he enjoys. For instance, he collects football cards. He can recite players and stats (after hearing them only once) and spends a lot of time organizing his cards in albums, however, the whole time he is doing this, he is talking to himself. Or singing. Or making mouth noises. He does this in school as well and it has caused him problems with teachers and classmates. He has no friends because he is "annoying". He is impulsive, often quoting gibberish from cartoons or singing loudly for no apparent reason. He does this when alone or in the company of others. He is always being goofy, especially during inappropriate times.

Basically I am wondering whether all of these things could be related and possibly caused by the intracerebral bleeding he experienced so soon after birth. The neurologist said there would be no long term effects, but since EVERY ASPECT of my son's life, from his diet to his sleep patterns to his learning process seem to have been somewhat unusual, I wonder if they are not all related and caused by that one particular event. And if they are, what do we do about it?

I have an appointment for my son to begin seeing a counselor, though if his "issues" are medical and not psychological, I don't see how that will help.

I'm sorry this is so long. I wanted to be as detailed as possible. Kudos if you're still reading this.

Any opinions on the possibility of his early head injury causing any of those eating/ sleeping issues or hyperactivity later on in life? If he is not ADD (ooh I HATE that label), I think we should find out before we continue to medicate him for the wrong diagnosis. I do not want my child medicated beyond recognition, but his school career and life in general are going to be very difficult for him if he continues on this path of silliness and hyperactivity.





This discussion is related to intracranial hemorrhage vs. intraventricular hemorrhage.