Notabug

I remember we talked about it at the time. Initially, Jill said that Janessa lacked a corpus callosum on a prenatal ultrasound. The corpus callosum is a band of tissue connecting the right and left sides of the brain; allowing rapid and efficient cooperation between them. Kids who lack a corpus callosum can have anything from significant developmental delays, cognitive deficits, blindness, deafness, seizures, lack of coordination to a virtually normal kid with nothing obviously wrong. Agenesis of the corpus callosum is also associated with genetic abnormalities which they knew Janessa didn't have early on. After she was born, Jill said that Janessa had had a stroke while in the womb based on a CT or MRI that was done. That can happen and, once again, there can be severe ongoing problems or a completely recovery with a healthy kid In all cases, every time, Jill stressed the worst case scenario and indicated that this was the only possible outcome; but that Janessa avoided those things due to Jill's devotion to prayer. She, of course, strongly implied that she was just so special and devout that she got a miracle. With the unsaid implication that people whose children had ongoing issues were just not as loved by Jesus as Jill was.

I think Jill is referring to Modere which literally shut its doors and went out of business at a moment's notice a few days ago. There are all sorts of lawsuits and scandals involved and it appears the company was basically insolvent and had been for some time. Modere fired its top distributor recently; he says it was because he was owed $300,000 in commission and fees and they didn't want to/didn't have the funds to pay him. This guy had something like 600 people in his downline. He is suing Modere and they are suing him back claiming he was planning on striking out on his own with a new company and undermining their business. This is all very common with the MLM's. That Jill thinks everything has to be on the up and up with the folks that run the MLM's she's tangled up in because they are all Christians would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic.

There is also the fact that the portrait of President Obama that Trump had removed was not in the living quarters of the White House, but in the public portion. It was in the grand foyer of the East wing, where other presidential portraits hang. If Trump didn't want the portrait hanging in his private rooms at the White House, fine, absolutely his choice. But to remove a portrait of a former president from the People's House in an area where it is meant to be displayed for the public is quite juvenile and silly. BTW, it appears that Trump is the first president to ever commission a portrait of himself and hang it in the gallery with the other presidents' portraits. Figures.

It does happen and is not that unusual. By the time they're a year or so old, most kids are eating solid foods and just need a bottle or nursing at nap time and bedtime to fall asleep. They often use a sippy cup of water or milk other times.

Cromwell has also managed to piss off much of the hereditary nobility which doesn't bode well since they consider him to be a low-born peasant in comparison to their fancy pedigrees and they don't believe someone from his humble beginnings should have the amount of power that he does. They hang out with the king 24/7 and we know he listens when they whisper in his ear. There are more than a few who will view this as an opportunity to get rid of Cromwell so that they can get closer to the throne.

Who would want to? It's no doubt the same cheap Chinese-made stuff they've been selling all along. I am sure something similar can be found on Temu or Shein for $35.

Karen and the later books provide real insight into what it is like to be both parent and caregiver to a child with CP. The first book spends considerable time discussing how difficult it is for a child with severe CP to learn to walk and what sacrifices they and the parents must make. One of the later books, written when Karen was a teen or young adult; has a really good discussion of whether Karen should continue walking with crutches and braces despite the amount of effort it takes to do so or whether it might be better for her to use a wheelchair and have more energy to enjoy the places she goes and interact with people. It's very eye opening as to the seemingly small things that make a huge difference. BTW, Karen just died in 2020 but lead a productive life working as a receptionist and living in her own condo. She didn't like the term 'handicapped' instead referring to herself as permanently inconvenienced.

Kerr's first name was Walter. Jean Kerr wrote Please Don't Eat the Daisies about her chaotic family life with a bunch of sons which became a movie starring Doris Day and later a television series. Her book mentions the Killileas and the Kerr family is mentioned in Karen as well as the sequel(s). The two moms seemed to be close friends. ETA: The Killilea's are very devout Catholics and Marie is not shy about talking about her faith and its impact on her life, both with parenting Karen and her other kids as well as everything else she does. She isn't obnoxious about it, IMO, but it is an integral part of her life and she talks about it. If you don't like people referring to their faith frequently; you may not enjoy Karen or the sequels.

Yes, there is a genetic aspect to spina bifida. In the regular US white population, the risk is 1 in 1000 pregnancies. If a woman has had a child with spina bifida, that increases to about 5 in 100. That is typical for multifactorial inheritance; which are diseases that involve multiple genes. The highest rates of spina bifida are found in Caucasians in northern Europe. As you move south, the rates decrease.

Any parent can surrender custody of their child to the government. In the US, it is the county that handles it. That is how adoption works. The child's medical condition is not a consideration. The county social services uses foster homes as well as a wide variety of institutions, including church-founded orphanages and group homes to house children in their custody.

One thing to remember is, due to HIPPAA, there will not be any discussion of what his problem is, where he's been or what happens next amongst the staff unless he permits it. Not that everyone won't have a pretty good idea though. Only the person, probably Robby, assigned to monitor his progress in his program will have access to his records and testing, etc. Langdon will probably be restricted from prescribing any controlled substances, including Schedules 2-4. Someone else will have to co-sign his orders or write any prescriptions for those medications for at least 6 months or so, depending on the program that is prescribed for him. ETA: Schedule 1 drugs are those with high potential for addiction or harm but no specific medical use like LSD or heroin. Nobody can prescribe those without a special license only given to those doing research with those medications.

I found their discussion of what they wanted, how they hoped to look on their wedding day to be somewhat confusing. I guess, like a lot of Kleinfeld's clientele, they didn't really know what they wanted and I wasn't surprised when Randy and the new consultant had a hard time finding dresses/jumpsuits for them. Also, if you really want a jumpsuit or a red dress or something equally original for your wedding; shopping at the ultimate traditional bridal shop is not the way to go. Kleinfelds seemingly had maybe 5 jumpsuits, most of which were brought in from elsewhere for that specific appointment, meaning the consultants barely knew anything about them and had a hard time picturing alterations. As for the dress they chose, for which they were supposedly going to remove the skirt and have pants made from the fabric; there is going to be a huge requirement in time and money to get an unpredictable result. They should've found a seamstress who could listen to their ideas and whip up the perfect outfit that fit the bill.

It can improve outcomes, but there are only a few centers in the US where it is done, mainly because spina bifida affects about 1 in 1000 kids, many of whom will have defects that are too severe/too high on the spine to be amenable to repair. Sometimes the problem isn't found until after the baby has developed significant hydrocephalus which puts them at risk of other complications. Also, there is a risk of preterm rupture of membranes, infection, preterm labor in pregnancies that undergo fetal surgery. Sometimes there is also a technical issue, like location of the placenta that makes fetal surgery impossible in a specific pregnancy. With fetal surgery, about 80% of kids will be walking by the time they are two and a half, but most of them will need leg braces/walkers to assist them.

A baby with spina bifida as large and in the location we saw on the show has virtually no chance of normal neurologic function below the defect. That doesn't mean June wouldn't be able to move her legs; but she will almost undoubtedly need significant therapy to be able to walk and probably would need leg braces, a walker, other aids to be able to walk at all. Kids with spina bifida also often cannot urinate on their own and require intermittent catheterization. There are myriad other issues besides being able to walk. June's parents may have assumed the worst, but even the best possible outcomes would probably include significant neurologic issues with walking. Many kids with spina bifida also develop hydrocephalus which is why they were talking about the dimensions of her head. Hydrocephalus requires placement of a surgical shunt into the head as well as an increased risk of developmental disabilities, seizures, etc.

Actually, I think it is because Jake feels comfortable with Robby that he was able to vent at him like he did. If Robby had been some random ER doc, Jake wouldn't have lashed out at all. He put his anger and grief onto Robby because he knew Robby could handle it and because he knew their relationship was strong. Using people we love and trust as targets for our anger is a very human thing.