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General health

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Original poster

Anyone know about water on brain - Hydrocephalus ??

9 replies

CrazyDi · 02/05/2006 22:10

Just wondered if anyone had had a child that had water on the brain? My son (turned 1 on thursday) has been seeing our health visitor regularily as she started to get worried about the size of his head.. she saw him over a month and the circumference is way off the scale on his measurement chart in his red book, and the growth has been unproportionate to his body and very rapid.. he has been refferred to go and see a consultant this month at the hospital but naturally I am terrified!!

He seems happy nough most of the time but the last couple of days he has been restless and holding onto his head as if its hurting him. Hes irritable and also doesnt seem to be picking up on things as quick as my previous two children, he still seems like he is 7/8 months old..

I know its probably me being paranoid and reading too much into things, but am petrified that the hospital re going to tell me he has got water on the brain..

it would be great to hear any info/experiences - good and bad - that anyone has.. thanks x

OP posts:

sparklemagic · 02/05/2006 22:39

no experience but wanted to bumpt this for you.

And to send my best wishes, I really feel for you - you must be so worried. I hope the appointment is helpful and puts your mind at rest. x

starlover · 02/05/2006 22:56

hi, i don't know anything about water on the brain but I do know someone else whose child has a really big head!
he is 2 now, they have no idea what caused it, but he has to wear like age 5-8 hats and stuff!
he is perfectly normal in every other aspect...

i do think that as far as being restless, holding his head, irritability is concerned he may well be like that ANYWAY, but you're picking up on it more because you're concerned... if that makes sense?

HappyMumof2 · 03/05/2006 07:51

I don't have much experience that can help, other than they thought ds had this when I was pregnant as his head was big. Thankfully it turned out to be nothing and it was growing at normal rate, in proportion to the rest of his body. He was very long too! He's now quite big for his age but nothing un usual.

When I worked in a school there was a girl there with hydrocephalus. She had special needs, just extra help at mainstream school, but her head didn't look really big as she had had a shunt fitted.

I think the slowness of development and the rapid growth are both strong signs of this condition so it is really good that you are being referred. The effects can vary, some children just have slight special needs, it doesn't always mean severe disability.

Good Luck with your appointment. Hope everything works out ok for you.

anniebear · 03/05/2006 11:39

Hiya

My DD has Hydrocaphalus and has a shunt fitted

she never had a big head! But she got it due to Meningitis so totally different I suppose

Can't really give much advice . My DD has had a shunt fitted since the ages of 9 months and she is 4 now and has had no problems with it

she has special needs but that is due to having Meningitis

As somebody said, he may just have a large head

Do let us know how you get on

If your DS did have Hydrocaphalus, there are plenty of children who have very little disability with it or none atall

lou33 · 03/05/2006 11:43

dd1 was born with it, she is 14 now and fine, her big head is from usual teenage ideas ideas of grandeur instead of excess csf

anniebear · 03/05/2006 11:44

can I just add, without scaring you at all, if he continues to seem in pain with his head, contact your HV and ask tell her, he might need to be seen soon

If my HV had concerns already then my baby seem to have bad pains in his head I would want to be seen straight away

Please, i don't want to scare you, but if there is extra fluid and is causing headaches it does need to be seen to asap

Original poster

CrazyDi · 03/05/2006 14:07

Thanks to everyone for your replies.. I know chances are he is fine and Im probably interpreting some things as more than what they actually are!! Im a bit over protective with him at times anyway as straight from birth he has had laryngomalacia which has always made him sound more like darth vader than a little baby lol.. He still has that now but for all i panicked at first nothing has ever affected him

I will ring the hv regarding his headaches and see what she says, I just wish they had got him an appointment sooner, as to tell you this is a possibility, then leave it weeks until the appointment with the consultant is pure torture !!!

OP posts:

starlover · 04/05/2006 19:05

hi crazydi, my little boy had laryngomalacia too!
he is 15 months now and it's virtually gone, it's very scary when they're little though isn't it?

anyway, hope you get somewhere with the HV and you can piut your mind at rest

mandybagpuss · 04/05/2006 19:16

Hello, I sympathise with you as my little boy has a large head too, I was worried sick about Hydrocephalus, I spoke to my Pediatrician, he assured me that conditions like that are noticed in a baby very soon after birth and do not suddenley develop. Well thats what he told me anyway. Good luck to you and your little lad, my baby son has Laryngomalacia too. Its other peoples opinions that bother me most, they think he cant breathe and he is very sick, im like no its just a noise etc. Grrr!

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