Spina Bifida occulta at S1

[BEG]

I took my youngest daughter to the doctor last week because she has been claiming that her lower back was hurting for quite awhile. Actually, at first I thought it was just for attention so I shrugged it off. Then her teacher kept sending home business cards from her chiropractor so I thought at some point she would turn me in for neglect.  . Not really but I was starting to feel like a bad mom.

So the doctor had Xrays taken and bloodwork drawn for autoimmune diseases (including the gene marker HLA B27, which I am positive).  All the bloodwork turned out negative and everything with the Xray came back normal except there was a finding of Spina bifida occulta at S1.

The doctor wrote at the end of the report that everything looked normal. I gave him a call and left a message so he hasn't called me back yet. I googled spina bifida occulta and I get sites that say it isn't a big deal and that most people who have it don't even know they have it until they have an Xray and I found sites that say it can cause lower back pain.

I took methotrexate (a chemotherapy drug Pam) for my auto immune disease and got pregnant while taking it. A HUGE no no, it causes birth defects.  It causes...you guessed it, Spina Bifida (and miscarriage).  I don't want to be the reason my daughter has this issue, there really is no way to tell if that is why but I would feel rather crappy if I knew.  

[SaintLouieWoman]

BEG, don't start beating yourself up about this. The docs should have told you about the side effects and consequences of taking that med. Plus you had a husband and other kids that needed you and wanted you to stay around for a loooong time.

Stuff happens, pregnancies happen. You're a greyt mom. It sounds like it isn't something life-threatening. It's just not the time for you to have something else to cope with.

Hugs.

[BEG]

BEG, don't start beating yourself up about this. The docs should have told you about the side effects and consequences of taking that med. Plus you had a husband and other kids that needed you and wanted you to stay around for a loooong time.

Stuff happens, pregnancies happen. You're a greyt mom. It sounds like it isn't something life-threatening. It's just not the time for you to have something else to cope with.

Hugs.

I did know the side effects. I wasn't supposed to get pregnant ever again because of my disease, it was a huge ooops!  Yes, I was using birth control.  I was told to abort because of the methotrexate and they were afraid I would have another stroke while I was pregnant, especially during delivery.  

I couldn't have a c-section because of the threat of blood clots getting stuck in my stents and I couldn't push during delivery. I never knew you could have a baby without pushing but I did it.  I had to give myself heparin (blood thinner) shots twice a day in my stomach during the whole pregnancy. My husband should have gotten "fixed" before this happened but we thought we were being safe. It all turned out well in the end.