‘First-time’ mom Tessa Crane’s fears about son Oscar dismissed 17 TIMES by docs before shocking diagnosis
United Kingdom: A frightened mother who took her unwell newborn son to the doctor 18 times in one month was dismissed as a "nervous first-time" parent but later learned he had a brain tumour. When Oscar Crane was seven months old, his mother, Tessa Crane, 29, visited a nearby physician because she was quite worried about his health.
Her worries were allayed, though, and she was even given anti-anxiety medication. Tessa, a desperate single mother, finally brought Oscar to the emergency room in her neighbourhood. In April 2018, Oscar received a prompt diagnosis of a possibly fatal brain tumour.
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Oscar will suffer from lifelong brain damage
At the age of barely eight months, doctors discovered the infant had hydrocephalus, or an accumulation of extra brain fluid, as well as a grade 2 Choroid Plexus Papilloma. Oscar, who is now five, has had 11 brain operations, and will likely have lifelong brain damage. He also has hypotonia, a condition marked by low muscle tone, and autism, as per 7News.
Tessa, who is from the UK, is now sharing her experience in the hope that other parents may be made aware of concerning indicators. “Oscar had a dramatic start to life, being born six weeks early by caesarean section, but he was generally a happy baby,” she said. “Sadly, things changed very quickly when he was about seven months old. He became irritable and would cry non-stop. His head was swollen, his eyes were bulging and he was vomiting. I took him to the doctor 18 times in one month but was told I was a nervous first-time mum and given medication for anxiety.”
'I was in bits'
Tessa knew babies may be tough from her experience as a childcare manager, but she also understood that Oscar's symptoms weren't typical. “Oscar’s symptoms had been attributed to a viral infection, colic and my poor mental health — I was in bits,” she said. Tessa mustered the fortitude to take her son to the hospital after yet another unsuccessful doctor's appointment. She said, “I figured either Oscar really didn’t like me and I was doing something very wrong, or there was some medical explanation that would be found.
One of Oscar's surgical procedures landed him in a coma. But according to Tessa, he is doing much better now. “He couldn’t crawl because his muscles weren’t strong enough to hold himself up, but physical therapy has made all the difference and now you wouldn’t know that had been an issue. He was also non-verbal for a long time, but he’s had speech and language therapy and seven months ago he started developing words. He’s a little chatterbox now — what he says doesn’t make sense but it’s fantastic to hear him.”