Comments: My 9 year old daughter has spinabifida of the L-5 S-1. We found this out 3 years ago by should I say an answered prayer.

My daughter, Laneigh was born with a skin tag on the lumbar saceral area above a fat pocket. With no other tests done, the pediatrician from our small home town deadened and snipped and carterized that off and sent us on our merry way.

Yes, this too has given alot of people the shivers since. Through the next 6 years of her life, we learned to deal with her symptoms we now know are tethered cord symptoms. Her leg pains, bowel and bladder troubles, and back pain, to name a few were managed by trial and error of our family dealing with them. Even to buy her a pair of shoes became a nightmare as her feet were as club feet. We were even told that she has "a form of club foot" when she was about 3. Still nothing done as far as further tests.

To try and make a long story short, we moved to Arkansas when she was about to turn 6. In the first few months we were here, Laneigh tripped over her own feet and broke her ankle repeatedly. This drew attention to our church nurse and we were recommended to a Local Doctor, Dr. Chambers.

She was truely a GOD send for us. Through a few tests we were immediatly sent to Arkansas Childrens Hospital in Little Rock. With in the week they had done an MRI on Laneigh and told us she had Spina Bifida.

I was scared and comforted all in the same breath to know that they had finally found what was wrong. We spent the next year and half going through surgery after surgery. Seemed like every 6 months she was back in.

Doctor Teo, our nurosurgeon was wonderful. And through his work and medication (Baclofin) for severe spasms, My daughter became like any other child.

You would never know by looking at her she had this disorder. We even made it nearly a year and half with no surgeries.

Today is February 9th, 2000. And yes, we are at the old grinding stone again. For the past 2 months Laneigh has had a tramendous growth and is once again having troubles with her feet, legs, and back pain. The hospital is in the process of getting her in for another MRI as we all feel she is retetherd yet again! Each day while we wait for the 9th of March to roll around, she suffers a little more with pain and mostly lays around to try and comfort that pain. I trust that what ever the outcome for her is in the good Lords hands. And He will get us all through this as he has so far.

It is nice to find someone out there that can relate to what it is we are going through. If you have taken the time to read this, Bless you.

And if you would like to spend some of your time to write me, or Laneigh, that would be wonderful. You can find a picture of our family on my web page. I am always praying that the Lord would connect us with someone who has a child or is a child who is one step... or even 2, down the same path that awaits us.

Our prayers go out to all who suffer from this defect and their families as well.

May God bless each of you. Laneighs MOM
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