The Boy in the Bubble

[judecorp]

I'm half-heartedly watching an episode of "American Experience" on PBS about The Boy in the Bubble. It's a fascinating subject, I just can't bear to watch that much television. So I'm half listening and half doing other things, like updating my resume.

I have such mixed feelings about some of the "heroic" measures that some doctors take with special needs kids. I'm sure I could feel differently if I were in that situation, but for now, it just makes me nervous. I mean, this kid was trapped in this plastic playroom because doctors promised his parents a cure for his immunodeficiency and then couldn't do it.

I see the same thing with some of the micro-preemies that are in my program. One of my clients is a former 21-weeker and it is just amazing and staggering to think about all of the interventions that were performed to keep her alive. And then who knows what the long-term effects are going to be? She's 6 months old now and looks/acts like a 3 month old, so it's hard to tell. There are soooo many things that can go wrong with micro-preemies.

Some countries won't even attempt to intervene on babies born before a certain time, like 24 or 26 or 28 weeks. As a clinician I can see the reasoning, but as a parent? What if we get pregnant and have a micro-preemie? Will I be singing the same tune?

Sometimes I think too much.

Comments

[sassywoman.livejournal.com]

What do you do for work if you don't mind me asking?

[jodied.livejournal.com]

Wow, I didn't think that a 21-weeker was possible.

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

I have a bit of a soft spot for premmies, since my mom was a premmie (as well as an adopted kid). But being born in the 1930s, she obviously wasn't a 22-weeker. Probably more like 36-weeker, though I don't know exactly.

As for the client, she was born 4.5 months early. Given that she's at 3 months developmentally, when she would only be 1.5 months old if born on time, I don't think she's doing too badly. I think from your replies to comments, it's clear that you think she's doing well, also, though I couldn't tell for sure from the post.

Also, this reminds me of the one micro-premmie we had at the hospital in Cleveland when I was working in medical records. I was taking some of her lab results up to the NICU to add to her chart, and her father was there with her. A professional-looking gentleman, with a gown over his business suit, and he seemed so sad, yet so hopeful, while he was gently touching her. And she was so tiny, even though she was about 2 months at that point. She may have been something like a 25-weeker, but I don't remember exactly. She was in much better shape than some of the other NICU babies, though. Especially some of the babies that were going through withdrawl. NICU was one of the most heart-wrenching things I've ever seen.

[vorpalbla.livejournal.com]

Have you heard of what they used to do with babies in Tibet to determine if they were strong enough?