Until recently, it was impossible to wish a "Good night" for 3-year-old Rat Lamb. His case baffled all doctors. that Rath's parents were referring to. The point is. that the boy was awake 24 hours a day and only thanks to the attempts of his mother to put him to bed could he take a nap for two hours
"If you give him the opportunity to stay awake, he will not sleep," says Shannon, the boy's mother.
“He was extremely agitated. He often had bad, uncontrollable behavior and bad moods. He could not play, did not interact with other children and it all continued to get worse. It was impossible to look at all this. He was biting, pushing, it is not known what he could do in the next minute."
Rat's father, David Lamb, says it sounded like crazy. We couldn't do anything with him. The parents were forced to change their work schedules, so that some of the adults were awake all the time, without leaving the boy unattended 24 hours a day.
Finally, doctors were able to diagnose Rath's disease. After 3 years of ordeals and going to hospitals, consultations and conflicting opinions, the boy was diagnosed with a rare diagnosis of a brain disorder (chiari malformation). This disease causes neurological stress in which the lower part of the brain, the cerebellum, descends from the skull and presses on the spinal cord, putting pressure on both the brain and the spine, causing many symptoms, including insomnia.
After the diagnosis was made, the question was raised about the risky operation, after which the boy could sleep normally.
Dr. Gerald Tuite, a pediatric neurosurgeon at St. Petersburg Children's Hospital, made an incision from the base of Rat's skull to the top of his neck to remove bone around the brainstem and around the spinal cord to create more space and relieve pressure. The operation was a success. The boy was finally able to sleep during the night and his behavior improved dramatically.
Due to his illness, the three-year-old Rat had the development of an 18-month-old baby. But within months, he almost caught up with his peers, and for the first time in his life, he began to play with other children.