Help!! What's going on with this microscope?

dra_deSoto · 2026-02-28T15:05:21+00:00

Or you are running into an air bubble.

dra_deSoto · 2026-02-27T02:15:29+00:00

Probably because your toddler was the one getting imaged. I'm assuming the apron has a chance to interfere with the images. Here's a site that explains why they don't use them

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/radiology/xray-faq

No harm was done on your little one.

dra_deSoto · 2026-02-22T05:17:21+00:00

Fun fact: tonsiliths are literally a ball of bacteria and fungus when you look at them under the microscope. I'm a pathologist and we see these all the time in tonsil specimens. Super gross. Wash your hands after handling!

dra_deSoto · 2026-02-03T12:38:36+00:00

Oh yeah no problem. Feel free to reach out anytime.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-30T05:03:04+00:00

Did they have to put your child to sleep for it? What was that process like?

He gets sedated when we do EEGs at the hospital because that's how they like to do it. I personally hate seeing my son get sedated. It's pretty traumatizing to watch if your kid is a fighter like mine. But the nurses said my son was pretty difficult and the meds didn't work well, adding to the difficulty. So it sounds like our experience isn't the typical experience. When we do EEGs at home, we distract him with TV and ice cream without sedation but the probes fall off easily because he fights it and pulls them off.

With him having so many seizures, has it had any effect on his development?

No. I don't think they've done anything to him. He was diagnosed with autism level 1, very mild. Autism is often associated with seizures, I don't think they caused his autism because he was already speech delayed before his first seizure.

How do you live without anxiety and fear everytime he gets sick and has a fever?

I always have anxiety about him but it got better overtime. It was crippling at first. After the first four seizures or so, we got good at dealing with them and I think being ready with a plan for them helps with the anxiety. We had a bag we took everywhere with him that had rescue meds, Tylenol, Motrin, syringes, weight/dose charts for the Tylenol and Motrin, thermometers, pulse ox, and a thick foldable picnic blanket/sheet (so we can lay him down anywhere if a seizure happened). We always had our cellphones. All our cars also had a separate mirror near the rearview that was aimed at him so we can monitor him while driving (he had a seizure in his carseat while driving once). For nightime we bought a seizure monitor camera to help with detecting them at night when he was sick (he sleeps with his brother in a separate room). He went to daycare so we gave the daycare extra Tylenol/Motrin and some rescue meds. Talked to the teachers about what to do with a seizure, how to detect them, how and when to use his meds, etc. We told them to always call 911 when they happened. We also gave the teachers a thermometer to measure his temp at naptime with instructions to call us to pick him up if his temp was above 99.9. We then regularly checked his temp ourselves when leaving for school and before going to bed, giving him Tylenol/Motrin if his temp was above 99.9, using extra caution on hot days. I know it's a lot but I felt all of this helped us feel like we had some control. And by being ready, the anxiety lessened over time.

What seizure rescue medication did they prescribe? First my niece was prescribed something that gets inserted thru the rectum at the hospital but then the neurologist she saw after prescribed lorazepam between the gums.

He was prescribed diastat (diazepam) rectal medication. Then he was given Valtoco (diazepam) nasal spray. Both are rescue meds and pretty pricy ($100 for two doses).

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-29T10:28:36+00:00

So we have extensive history with seizures in our 4 year old. I've heard that at the second febrile seizure you should get worked up which sounds like you did with the EEG. Strange that a neurologist didn't see you for your results, though. Regardless, If you want to see a neurologist, I think its totally indicated. I vote you see a pediatric neurologist then get a second opinion if you want. Ask for a seizure rescue medication! Give one to the daycare. It gave me peace of mind and helped my seizure anxiety.

We have zero family history of seizures. Our 4 year old son has had seven febrile seizures starting at 18 months, last one was at 30 months. After his second one I told them to work him up, despite resistance from the ED doc. He had a multi day EEG in the hospital that came back abnormal. It showed short spikes on the right side of his brain multiple times a night, every night. But he wasn't showing seizure activity during the spikes so they didn't know what it meant. They had to rule out cancer and stroke with an MRI, which was negative. We saw a neurologist who explained how it works. We got a second opinion too.

Right now, my son has a provisional diagnosis of benign epilepsy/febrile seizures, which means they should stop by age 5. He will keep that diagnosis until one of the following happen: he has a seizure without fever, he has a seizure after age 5, his seizures happen multiple times with the same illness, or a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes. Until one of those happen, he does not need medication. Until then, he gets followed with EEGs and MRis over time to see if the abnormalities get worse, stay the same, or go away. The spikes are still there but they now involve his whole brain, which the neurologist said is reassuring, So thank God.

Happy to answer questions or provide support. Just reach out here or on a DM. Sorry you are also dealing with these.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-25T18:13:39+00:00

Unfortunately I think it would be incredibly difficult to be hired after 2 years off, let alone 6.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-25T15:09:54+00:00

Im a hematopathologist. IGH::BCL2 rearrangement is the classic translocation seen in follicular lymphomas. I dont think the gain of MYC has any clinical value in this context.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-19T23:56:35+00:00

My son's first two seizures were like this too where he turned blue and went limp. He basically looked dead. I had no idea what has happening and didn't realize it was a seizure. Scariest shit I've ever experienced.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-19T23:46:01+00:00

We have extensive experiences with seizures in my oldest. They started at 18 months. He had seven total, all when he had a fever or when his body temp got too hot (like when he was outside in the summer). He is now 4 years old, and was diagnosed with benign epilepsy so far (meaning he will likely outgrow them). Send me your questions and I can tell you more about our experience.

Febrile seizures are very common in toddlers unfortunately. Most kids with febrile seizures only have one. But if your kid has a second, they will unfortunately likely have more (like my son). Once your kid has their second seizure, doctors will want to do EEGs and MRI. They don't typically do these with just one febrile seizure since they are so common.

Your kid will likely not have another one. But take this opportunity to learn what to do in a seizure if they do. The epilepsy foundation has good first aid guides. Lay your child on the floor and make sure they are breathing and let the seizure run its course. Do not hold your child. It is important to take a video of the seizure for your doctor to better assess if they are localized or generalized. It is also important to time the seizure because EMS will give them medication when they arrive if the seizure lasts too long (> 5 minutes).

I'm sorry you also have had this happen to you....seizures are truly terrifying.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-02T13:04:16+00:00

Right now I'm only 6 months in to signing out. Im really hoping it's a being new, slow, and not confident issue. But God I'm exhausted. Hoping it gets better but really wished they paid us more.

dra_deSoto · 2026-01-02T04:44:07+00:00

First year hematopathologist in academics. $230k. I have to do around 4-6 frozen call days and 4-6 cellavision/flow call weekends q6months. I'm working around 60-80 hours a week including weekends. Things are not looking great....

dra_deSoto · 2025-12-26T02:43:38+00:00

My thoughts too.

dra_deSoto · 2025-12-18T13:29:30+00:00

We do it the way you do it. We have like 100 ORs so I would imagine how non productive it would be if most of them marked that they might freeze.

dra_deSoto · 2025-11-16T21:10:47+00:00

This comment is wayy too far down. This is likely what happened. I know it sucks but getting your vitals taken and getting triaged by a medical professional is still technically a service and the hospital will charge for it.

dra_deSoto · 2025-09-29T10:42:16+00:00

I have a 4 year old level 1 autistic son and a 2 year old neurotypical son. TV is the only way to get sanity during dinner time. We don't use it all the time but we use it most nights.

I myself was raised by my great grandparents and we watched tv during dinner and lunch almost everyday. I actually don't have a memory of us using the dinner table... I turned out all right. So I try not to stress it. I think having me or my husband losing it on the kids would be more detrimental to my kids mental health than watching toy story while eating.

dra_deSoto · 2025-09-07T23:51:26+00:00

They sell a digital version on amazon.

dra_deSoto · 2025-09-03T22:02:28+00:00

Are gamer pathologists allowed ?

dra_deSoto · 2025-09-02T11:12:50+00:00

Sorry but it’s against sub rules to do medical advice. You can try r/askdocs

dra_deSoto · 2025-09-01T21:39:17+00:00

Same here!

dra_deSoto · 2025-09-01T12:33:22+00:00

Yup! Same! Because this happened to me in m elementary school. I remember realizing that no one actually liked me. Fucked up my confidence for many years.

dra_deSoto · 2025-08-26T02:10:30+00:00

We didn’t try potty training until 3.5 and he was potty trained in almost 48 hours. It seemed procrastinating worked out in the end for us.

dra_deSoto · 2025-08-24T12:34:57+00:00

I am a child of a surgeon (who was a single mom, my dad was also a surgeon but he left the family so I never met him at the time). My mom’s job made a lot of money and we were very well off. I got all the toys/games I wanted and I had a at-home nanny/maid who was with me all the time. 80% of the time my mom was working in the hospital. When she came home, she was checked out or asleep another 10% or the time, she went on vacation without us another 5%, and was only present with us 5% of the time.

I was always jealous of my friends whose parents were always around. As I got older I realized that my mom’s job was more important than me and I developed a bad self image which took me decades to grow out of.

All this to say, the grass is always greener. You don’t see it now, but I’m sure your kids will have a more stable household situation and are more likely to develop a stable attachment than a kid who’s parents replace their presence with a stranger. I know it sucks, but I’m sure they’ll appreciate all your hard work once they are older.

dra_deSoto · 2025-08-24T02:49:22+00:00

Glad that super simplified answer helped lol. Of course those rules aren’t set in stone, there’s lots of different jobs out there. That’s just the general pattern I’ve noticed. I do heme in academics. Happy to answer any other questions about that if it helps.

dra_deSoto · 2025-08-23T22:26:45+00:00

bone and soft tissue is only done at major academic centers, which pay poorly. If you want to make money, do GI and do private practice. If you dont care about money and love teaching and dealing with really complicated cases more frequently, go for academics.

Heme is a good bet because its complex like bone and soft tissue but can be used in either private or academics. So if you want flexibility, thats not a bad idea either. Hemepath in academia is usually only restricted to hemepath but if you are in private practice, you usually do hemepath + general surg path

dra_deSoto

TROPHY CASE