Mad...Madder...Maddest...

After talking to K-man's pediatrician for almost an hour Wednesday evening, it was decided that he really doesn't need a cat scan. As our pediatrician pointed out, she has way more data points on Kelton's development than the gastroenterologist does and while she's carefully monitoring his head size, she's not particularly concerned about anything that she's seen. She is such a great doctor who has been so patient with us through all of our concerns. She explained that there are several scenarios that could be in play here. One, Kelton could just have a big honking head - thanks to his daddy's genes. He may have benign hydrocephaly that causes a slight increase in cranial pressure resulting in head growth above average, but it doesn't do any harm to the brain and it resolves itself as the child grows older. He may have hydrocephaly, in which case we evaluate what the options are and to what degree it is an issue. But for now, he has no indications of any abnormal conditions and while his head is off the growth chart, it actually tracks on its curve as normal development. We'll wait and see what he measures at his one year old check-up and then go from there. That's only 6 weeks away. Plus, she said that this isn't one of those issues that you wake up one morning and things have taken a turn for the worse. And she added that generally in cases of hydrocephaly, the fontanal (soft spot) will bulge from the extra pressure....Kelton's doesn't do that.

So, after all of that, I pulled out his radiology prescription thingy yesterday to cancel the scan and happened to actually read what was on the diagnosis as cause for the scan. It read megalencephaly. I thought, "hmmm...that's not what he said." So I researched it.

Megalencephaly is characterized as a "...condition in which there is an abnormally large, heavy, and usually malfunctioning brain." AND "Children with this disorder may have a large, sometimes asymmetrical head. Often they suffer from intractable seizures and mental retardation. " Excuse me??? What the hell is this?! Kelton does NOT have a malfunctioning brain, suffer from seizures, or exhibit any signs of mental retardation! He is either on track or ahead of schedule on all levels of development! So, I stuffed my rage into a nice little box and then went on to research hydrocephaly and found this...

"Fetuses, infants, and young children with hydrocephalus typically have an abnormally large head, excluding the face, because the pressure of the fluid causes the individual skull bones — which have yet to fuse — to bulge outward at their juncture points. Another medical sign, in infants, is a characteristic fixed downward gaze with whites of the eyes showing above the iris, as though the infant were trying to examine its own lower eyelids."..."Hydrocephalus is detectable during prenatal ultrasound examinations."

Okay, at this point I am absolutely furious reading this. If K-man had this condition, then his face would be disproportionate to the remainder of his skull. Not to mention this downward gaze as a result of the pressure or the fact that the condition is detectable before birth! Again...he doesn't fit the scenario!

So, why am I so mad? Because that quack doctor sent us on an emotional rollercoaster for the day because of ONE data point when NOTHING else substantiated the concern! Because he immediately ordered a brain scan instead of voicing his concern and referring us back to our pediatrician. Because he didn't inquire as to whether my child was excelling in all other areas of development before jumping the proverbial gun. Because he said less about Kelton's digestion issues than he did about his head. Because I wonder if that was an over zealous approach to something that was barely warranted in an effort to squeeze more money out of the insurance company. Because my baby is not somebody's cash cow. And that, folks, just really pissed me off.


*the above quotes on the disorders came from wikipedia...webmd says the same thing