Hydrocephalus / pain while flying / no shunt
 

Dear Friends,

My friend is in China right now adopting her new son who has spina bifida. She just received him yesterday. It is obvious that he needs surgery to have a shunt inserted ASAP, so her adoption agency (also my adoption agency) is trying to intervene and get the US Embassy to grant an emergency visa appointment so that she can leave the country with him sooner than scheduled and get him to the Unites States where he can be seen by a neurosurgeon at a Western Medical facility. He was already seen by a doctor in his province in China, who did a CT scan in December and diagnosed him as having water on the brain, and they did nothing to help this poor child. He was walking in December and running. Now it is April and he can't walk without leaning on someone, he sways even when sitting, he looks downward ALL the time, and is ALWAYS sleepy. She contacted me from China, I in turn contact my neurosurgeon, as I have a SB daughter, and then I contacted the adoption agency, who is now trying to get them home.

Now they are worried that the 14 hour plane trip home will be too much for him. Does anyone know if the plane trip will cause him distress? If so, can anything be done to alleviate any of the distress?

Please contact me ASAP if you can help.

Charlotte in MI, on behalf of Jamey and Lisa, Ethan's parents, Ethan is 4 years old

It is likely to make him miserable, since his hydro is obviously progressing. See if he can get a spinal tap just before leaving. It should help.

Good luck...

LIZARD :)