4 ms·

what exactly do you mean by alien head? not offended, just curious

by asia92 5y ago

sezna 5y ago
a physically large head, shaped similarly to a stereotypical alien head
turnerc 5y ago
I believe they mean enlarging of the fontanelle as is typical in those with hydrocephalus.
airstrike 5y ago
You can google "hydrocephalus", though I should warn the images can be a bit disturbing
- 1-6 5y ago
  At least in the US, early intervention allows doctors to recommend shunts so extreme cases of hydrocephalus can be avoided and head sizes normalize a bit as kids grow. The photos are usually from med textbooks and for teaching future doctors and usually demonstrating the extreme forms. Let’s not say alien head. My biggest worry as a young dad was my child being called names because of his head circumference. He too was born with HC.
  - airstrike 5y ago
    > Let’s not say alien head. To be clear, I never said that and agree the term shouldn't be used at all.
wincy 5y ago
I can’t post the specific child’s picture as it wasn’t posted publicly and I wouldn’t want to disrespect them, but here’s some examples of less severe hydrocephalus you’ll see often in spina bifida parenting groups [0] [1]. Often people don’t comment on ones like that as everyone wants to get along but if it’s left untreated it can eventually progress to be much more severe and cause debilitating headaches and mental retardation. Interestingly, in googling this apparently low pressure cerebrospinal fluid headaches are also a thing [2], so keeping just the right amount of cerebrospinal fluid draining is a must. [0] https://www.hydroassoc.org/people-view/wylie-6-months/ https://www.hydroassoc.org/people-view/wylie-6-months/ [1] https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/253290 https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/253290 [2] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/low-csf-headache https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseas...

what exactly do you mean by alien head? not offended, just curious

by asia92 5y ago

what exactly do you mean by alien head? not offended, just curious

sezna 5y ago

a physically large head, shaped similarly to a stereotypical alien head

turnerc 5y ago

I believe they mean enlarging of the fontanelle as is typical in those with hydrocephalus.

airstrike 5y ago

You can google "hydrocephalus", though I should warn the images can be a bit disturbing

1-6 5y ago
At least in the US, early intervention allows doctors to recommend shunts so extreme cases of hydrocephalus can be avoided and head sizes normalize a bit as kids grow. The photos are usually from med textbooks and for teaching future doctors and usually demonstrating the extreme forms. Let’s not say alien head. My biggest worry as a young dad was my child being called names because of his head circumference. He too was born with HC.
- airstrike 5y ago
  > Let’s not say alien head. To be clear, I never said that and agree the term shouldn't be used at all.

wincy 5y ago

I can’t post the specific child’s picture as it wasn’t posted publicly and I wouldn’t want to disrespect them, but here’s some examples of less severe hydrocephalus you’ll see often in spina bifida parenting groups [0] [1]. Often people don’t comment on ones like that as everyone wants to get along but if it’s left untreated it can eventually progress to be much more severe and cause debilitating headaches and mental retardation. Interestingly, in googling this apparently low pressure cerebrospinal fluid headaches are also a thing [2], so keeping just the right amount of cerebrospinal fluid draining is a must. [0] https://www.hydroassoc.org/people-view/wylie-6-months/ https://www.hydroassoc.org/people-view/wylie-6-months/ [1] https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/253290 https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/253290 [2] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/low-csf-headache https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseas...