Quade's Appointment

Quade went to see his neurologist at St. Louis. Dr. Brunstrom has been in Atlanta doing research on a new discovery that might link to some of Quade's issues. The cause of his original brain
injury is still unknown, but she thought of Quade and another child when considering this new research. At a scheduled time in March, she will be having Quade at Children's for a spinal tap to draw cerebral fluid to have it tested. She is going to test for a cerebral folate deficiency. With this research, they have discovered a medicine that can help control seizures, but more importantly, can bring back some of the motor skills, speech, and other issues that Quade has. First, he has to test positive for this to be considered, and even if he is not, she may put him on these meds to see if it helps some things. If he tests positive, it is possible that these meds could do amazing things to improve his condition. It doesn't guarantee success, but it could. That's more than we had. They are also going to do testing for the MTHFR mutations as well since there were potential problems before birth. The best definition that I found regarding this follows: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a widely recognized risk factor for coronary artery disease, venous thrombosis, and stroke. It is also involved in the pathogenesis of neural tube defects, stillbirths, and recurrent pregnancy loss. The leading cause of hyperhomocysteinemia is folate deficiency. Other determinants include insufficient B12 intake, impaired renal function, and genetic variations including those in the MTHFR gene. Folate supplementation can correct for
most causes of hyperhomocysteinemia.

With the spinal tap, we have to keep him down for 12 hrs. or he could develop a severe headache. Dr. B enjoyed working w/ Quade again as he refused to even talk for her regardless of the flavor of the suckers. She referred to him again as a miracle.

They had concerns about his orthotics and his abilities and is recommending more right ankle
ultraflex daily (his big brace).

Quade also made his annual delivery of crocheted baby hats to the NICU. Every year Grandma Sandy crochets hats for Quade to deliver to the babies.