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I have friends whose eldest child, a boy, couldn’t seem to sleep through even at age three. And when he napped, well, he’d only be out for 15 minutes max. It was hard for his parents, both of whom were working. I really felt sorry for the mom because even though I had twins, I tended to be less sleep-deprived than her.

Luckily, the boy outgrew his sleeping problems though they never found out what the problem was. Back then, they jokingly complained “he must have been born without a sleeping gene.” Now 6, he is the typical first grader who doesn’t like to get out of bed in the morning.

But it seems their problems are nothing compared to the parents of 3-year old Rhett Lamb who almost doesn’t sleep at all, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No wonderful that the boy is constantly crabby and has no appetite.

It took years for medical experts to find out what’s keeping the boy from sleeping. It’s a very rare condition called Chiari Malformation wherein “the brain literally is squeezed into the spinal column” leading to compression and squeezing of the brain stem. This is the part of the brain where all the vital bodily functions including sleep.

Recently, Rhett underwent an operation to ease the pressure on his “strangled” brain. This was done by removing the bone surrounding the brain stem and the spinal cord, thus creating more space inside the skull. The effect of the surgery may not be immediately evident but the doctors and parents are hopeful that the boy will soon make a full recovery.

Chiari Malformation is related to Spina Bifida and other neurological disorders. It can manifest in different symptoms or be asymptomatic (without any symptoms). For more information about chiari malformation, check out this Fact Sheet from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Source:

ABC News, 10 May 2008

Tags: brain, chiari malformation, neurology, sleep, sleep-deprived, sleepin disorder, surgery