[tri-med] Re: New to list...looking for options

<<My name is Jon Clements, I live in Longwood, FL. My wife (Naomi) and 
I found out yesterday that our unborn child is probably going to have 
Trisomy 13.  Yesterday was an Ultrasound with a specialist here in 
Orlando after a "regular" ultrasound on Tuesday.  What they saw in the 
Ultrasound was a small head and a problem with the frontal brain 
developing, the entire front part of the brain wasn't there......If it 
turns out to be T13, what options will we have?  

Jon,

I'm so sorry to meet you under these circumstances.  If, and I say if, 
the ultrasound is right, and your child is missing the frontal lobe of 
his/her brain, then the T13 is pretty much a moot point.  I've copy & 
pasted below a section from a website (with a link to it) that explains 
what the frontal lobe of the brain controls.  

{{{Jon, Naomi & Baby Clements}}}

http://www.tbiguide.com/howbrainworks.html
FRONTAL LOBES--Planning, Organizing, Controlling

The biggest and most advanced part of the brain is the frontal lobe. 
(It's called the frontal lobe because it's in the front part of brain.) 
One job of the frontal lobe is planning. You have probably heard of 
"frontal lobotomies." At the turn of the century, this surgery was done 
on people who were very violent or who were in a psychiatric hospital 
because they were very agitated. Doctors used surgery to damage this 
area of the brain. Following this surgery, people became very passive 
and less violent. At first, scientists saw this as a great thing. 
Neurosurgery could stop behavioral problems such as violence. The 
problem was that the patients stopped doing a lot of other things. 
They didn't take care of themselves and they stopped many activities 
of daily living. They basically sat there. In head injury, individuals 
with frontal lobe impairment seem to lack motivation and have difficulty 
doing any task that requires multiple steps (e.g., fixing a car or 
planning a meal). They have problems with planning.

The frontal lobe is also involved in organizing. For a lot of activities, 
we need to do step A, then step B, then step C. We have to do things in 
order. That's what the frontal lobes help us do. When the frontal lobe is 
injured, there is a breakdown in the ability to sequence and organize. A 
common example is people who cook and leave out a step in the sequence. 
They forget to add an important ingredient or they don't turn the stove 
off. I've met a lot of patients who've burned or melted a lot of pans. 

Additionally, the frontal lobes also play a very important role in 
controlling emotions. Deep in the middle of the brain are sections that 
control emotions. They're very primitive emotions that deal with hunger, 
aggression, and sexual drive. These areas send messages to other parts of 
the brain to DO SOMETHING. If you're mad, hit something or someone. If 
you're hungry, grab something and eat it. The frontal lobes "manage" 
emotions. In general, the frontal lobe has a NO or STOP function. If your 
emotions tell you to punch your boss, it's the frontal lobes that say 
"STOP or you are going to lose your job." People have often said to me "a 
little thing will set me off and I'm really mad." The frontal lobes 
failed to stop or turn off the emotional system. 

On the other hand, we have talked about how the frontal lobes plan 
activities. The frontal lobes may fail to plan for some types of emotion. 
For example, sexual interest involves some level of planning or 
preparation. Without this planning, there is a lack of sexual interest. A 
lack of planning can also affect the expression of anger. I've had some 
family members say "You know, the head injury actually improved him, he's 
not such a hot-head anymore." If you listen very carefully, you're also 
going to hear "he's not as motivated anymore." Remember, the frontal lobe 
plans activities as well as controls emotions. 

Fawna Lockwood , mom of Thom 24, Lara 22, 
Philina 19 (PT6p & Moya Moya Syndrome), 
wife of Douglas, 7 =^..^='s, Bob & Jo the 
African Leopard Tortoises, Dribble the 
Musk Turtle, Paula, Chica & Carmelita the 
llamas. Philina's Pharm Bengal Cattery,
Escondido, California, USA
http://members.aol.com/sorgl/famtoc4.htm
http://www.chromodisorder.org/famtoc4.htm
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