Guest guest Posted April 28, 2002 Report Share Posted April 28, 2002 These are my thoughts: You might want to wait until you see the neurologist to have a CT scan done or EEG. The neurologist might want to have an MRI done instead of a CT scan. An MRI is a lot more detailed than a CT scan. My daughter has had normal CT scans, but the MRI shows lots of brain damage. I would just wait to talk to the neurologist first before having an MRI, EEG, or CT scan. Good luck. Suzi > Hi, my son who is 4 is going to have a head Ct scan done this week and I > am a little nervous about what to expect, and how to explain it to him of > why we are doing this. His pediatrician wants to check for seizure activity, > although I have seen no signs of any. I recounted to her that since he was > little, when he falls and gets really hurt he can't get any sound out of his > mouth, he turns a little blue around the lips, and his body goes limp. A > couple of times I have almost called 911, but then he breathes and starts > crying, a weak cry. He has never passed out and it lasts maybe a minute or > two. She is concerned about maybe lack of oxygen during it. She ordered a > head ct scan and a eeg. Anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone else's child > experienced this? > Another question is can a neurologist diagnose dysarthria and/or > apraxia? We have an appointment with one in June. we'll talk over the issues > above, but then I also want to ask about dysarthria and apraxia. Colin so > far has been diagnosed with a moderate expressive speech delay. The nature > of it is due to possible palatte problems, maybe short palate, dysarthria, > some degree of apraxia, mild gross motor delay, mild sensory integration > disorder. we are still unpeeling all the layers, started when he was two. He > is on Pro EFA and have seen amazing results. Also he has individual Speech, > OT and goes to school 2 1/2 days a week. Doing all we can! sorry so long and > so many issues in one post, but I finally got time to sit down and write. > the boys are off visiting their grandparents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2002 Report Share Posted April 29, 2002 , My older child has epilepsy and alot of what you wrote sounds very similar to his seizure activity. He would frequently turn blue around the mouth and just be out a short while but then he would have a grand mal seizure. He is not my apraxic child. We see the peds neuro for both the boys and we have had a CT Scan, MRI's for both and EEG's X 3 for the epileptic child. I told my son the CT Scan was like taking a picture of his very smart brain but it was just like using a camera and he liked that idea. I believe he just took some Benadryl to relax him about 45 minutes before the procedure. Our SLP diagnosed the apraxia and then the neurologist agreed. I think that they both can diagnose it but it is more accurate coming from someone who spends a lot of time with your child. I hope this helps. Daphne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2002 Report Share Posted April 30, 2002 Hello, thank you to everyone who responded to my post about my son's head ct and eeg scan. I'm sorry but I didn't make it clear that he only has this reaction when he gets really hurt. Not just hurt, but when he really gets hurt. He may just be holding his breath, but the doctor still wants to check it out. At no other time does he have this reaction. Sorry for the confusion. So far he has never passed out. Since he has had some really bad falls on his head when he was little, due to his gross motor delay, I'm going to go ahead with the ct head scan and eeg. With the eeg, I am suppossed to wake him up at 5 am and then at 12:15 he will go there and they will have him sleep for a couple of hours while they do their measurements. Does anyone have any experience with this? I really don't know what to expect. I would love ways to make it not a terrible experience for him. I'm worried he will not fall asleep, as he never takes naps during the day, and finds it hard to fall asleep as it is even at night. I can't imagine he is going to sleep. I'm worried he's going to really hate electrodes being taped on his head. He is 4 and theyre checking for possible seizures, although I haven't seen any evidence of any. Thank you! [ ] Head CT scan Hi, my son who is 4 is going to have a head Ct scan done this week and I am a little nervous about what to expect, and how to explain it to him of why we are doing this. His pediatrician wants to check for seizure activity, although I have seen no signs of any. I recounted to her that since he was little, when he falls and gets really hurt he can't get any sound out of his mouth, he turns a little blue around the lips, and his body goes limp. A couple of times I have almost called 911, but then he breathes and starts crying, a weak cry. He has never passed out and it lasts maybe a minute or two. She is concerned about maybe lack of oxygen during it. She ordered a head ct scan and a eeg. Anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone else's child experienced this? Another question is can a neurologist diagnose dysarthria and/or apraxia? We have an appointment with one in June. we'll talk over the issues above, but then I also want to ask about dysarthria and apraxia. Colin so far has been diagnosed with a moderate expressive speech delay. The nature of it is due to possible palatte problems, maybe short palate, dysarthria, some degree of apraxia, mild gross motor delay, mild sensory integration disorder. we are still unpeeling all the layers, started when he was two. He is on Pro EFA and have seen amazing results. Also he has individual Speech, OT and goes to school 2 1/2 days a week. Doing all we can! sorry so long and so many issues in one post, but I finally got time to sit down and write. the boys are off visiting their grandparents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 Wow, it sounds like you are going in the right direction. My son was diagnosed with apraxia by one therapist, not apraxic by two other therapists. I have often thought of having a CT done by a neurologist, but our insurance doesn't look at speech problems as a medical necessity. Anyway, let us know what you find out. Good luck. BTW, you could tell him that they are taking a picture of his cute face and he has to lay really still. If he lays really still, reward him with a new, inexpensive toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 10, 2002 Report Share Posted May 10, 2002 Hi Suzi: I'd like to comment on this - the CT and MRI each have their place in the diagnosis of damage to the brain. The CT is essentially a " fancy Xray " - in that, just like an xray, it looks for three different things: air, water, and bone (or calcium). So, for a child with a suspected vascular lesion of the brain, stroke effects, bleeding, something that might involve calcifications, or water on the brain (hydrocephalus), a CT will do just fine. It is less expensive, takes less time, and gives just about all the information you and your doctor needs to know. An MRI looks at the shape and maturation of the brain, in that it can tell how mature the brain is relative to children of the same age. It can also give a better sense of the extent of scar tissue from a stroke or from PVL (something preemies with brain bleeds often get) than a CT can. It is useful to the neurosurgeon who is planning to operate, in that it can be used to look at the brain structures in a more natural way, so the surgeon can plan better. It is, however, quite a bit more expensive, takes a long time, and is VERY NOISY, which can unnerve a lot of kids. Of course, the issue of magnetism is also a factor, and a child with prior surgery involving metal sutures or clips can't have an MRI. So, in summary, both CT and MRI show " brain damage " , just different kinds in different ways. Larry Laveman, MD Consultant, CHERAB http://www.apraxia.cc --- In @y..., " luckygmstwife " <suzi_knowles@p...> wrote: > These are my thoughts: > > You might want to wait until you see the neurologist to have a CT > scan done or EEG. The neurologist might want to have an MRI done > instead of a CT scan. An MRI is a lot more detailed than a CT > scan. My daughter has had normal CT scans, but the MRI shows lots > of brain damage. > > I would just wait to talk to the neurologist first before having an > MRI, EEG, or CT scan. > > Good luck. > > Suzi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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