Kid speaks normally after brain tumor removed
Dear Dr. Donya,
I refer to your most recent Kids' Health Corner column and just wanted to briefly share my experience of my son.
My son, Audi had a speech delay when he was 2-years-old and then the doctor found a large tumor in his small brain. Thank God that the combination of open surgery and gamma-knife treatments could help him and later he started to speak at 4 years-old.
My son now is in the fifth-grade, 10-years-old and a very healthy boy. The last MRI-scan showed that there was no tumor growth at all.
Best regards,
--Ratna
Dear Ratna,
Thank you very much for your sharing letter as it will be a benefit for other readers.
Best regards,
-- Dr. Donya
Dear Dr. Donya,
I am a mother of a baby girl who is now 10 months. I read in recent articles mentioning that the MMR vaccine may cause autism in babies, for that I am so worried to have my daughter vaccinated. However, your article in The Jakarta Post assures that there is no harm to give that vaccine to the baby. Indeed, the pediatrician of my baby also gave me a personal guarantee by telling his experience of having done MMR vaccines to thousands of babies without hearing any complaint of autism. However, I still have several questions to ask you as follows:
1. What is the cause of autism? Is it a genetic issue (as my baby's pediatrician theorizes)? Is it a virus or is it a question of educating a baby?
2. When my baby was 7-months-old (about 3 months ago), she had already had measles (as diagnosed by the pediatrician). At that time she had 5 days of high temperature in the range of 39 degrees to 41 degrees Celsius and when the fever was gone, out came the little red spots all over her body. The pediatrician said that it was a bit too early for my baby girl to get that measles, is that correct?
After having the measles, do you think it is still necessary for her to take the MMR vaccine?
Sincerely yours,
-- Laila
Dear Laila,
Autism's cause is still unknown but it is generally blamed on genetic and abnormal chemicals since the child was in the uterus. Virus is not the cause.
Measles is common after 9-months-old because a mother's immunity, but again if your doctor examined and diagnosed that your daughter had measles, it is possible but not common. The MMR vaccine covers measles, mumps and rubella, so I think she should still get the MMR because she is a girl and will be a woman. Rubella can cause big problems for women in the future if she wants a baby.
--Dr. Donya