Talk:Sirenomelia

Survivors
I was just reading up on Sirenomelia and apparently, there are three known survivors of Sirenomelia. I searched the internet and was unable to find out who the other person is (not including tiffany yorks, and Milagaros Cerrón). This statement of three survivors was found and verified in many esteemed sources, to include a few MSNBC and WOW. The third survivor is supposedly "living somewhere in Asia." Guthrie 14:20, Jun 3, 2005 (UTC)

Mermaid merge
Perhaps this topic should go under "mermaid". It's a small article to begin with... What do you wikipedians think? —DaemonDivinus 04:37, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 * I don't think it's a good idea. This one is a serious topic. How would you feel if you had a rare illness and its Wikipedia article were slumped together with that of some mythological creature? -- Alensha 22:15, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
 * I concur. Bubbleboys 23:26, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

CRS
Caudal regression syndrome under the See Also section redirects to this page. I suggest it be removed until an article is written.
 * Might be better to remove the redirect from CRS to this page. Jeffr 17:38, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
 * FWIW my medical dictionary has "caudal regression syndrome" also known as "caudal dysplasia syndrome" also known as "sacral agenesis."--209.7.195.158 21:00, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
 * They are, I am fairly sure, all the same syndrome.Didymus

There was just a case in China
Boy with mermaid's syndrome abandoned. I think Milagros Ceran's case warrants its own page, because survival is so rare, and each case so different, that each one is a unique story that ought to be told separately. ChristinaDunigan 05:44, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
 * That link doesn't work anymore. News sites that delete articles are DETESTED. --Ragemanchoo (talk) 05:59, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged, see old talk-page Talk:Milagros Cerrón. -Unsigned

Preparate picture
I'm not sure that the pickled baby picture is necessary, as we have another picture of a live baby and do not need two pictures - the pickled picture does not add anything to the article, but does distract people from the condition itself.
 * I'm not sure whether it distracts from the condition itself or not but removing it is probably advisable. Normally pathology museums (in the UK at least) are NOT open to the public but only to those with a specific need to visit them, either for education or research. 86.146.166.223 02:31, 17 January 2007 (UTC)MFO

Citation for syringomyelia being associated with maternal diabetes
I also learned in my pediatric residency that syringomyelia (also called caudal regression syndrome) is associated with maternal diabetes. In other words, if the mother has diabetes while she is pregnant, most likely, the baby will still be normal, but this is one of the rare congenital defects that may arise in this condition. I have never seen it. I learned this from a manual for pediatric residents put forth by the Neonatology Department at Baylor Children's Hospital. I have not been able to find this association in any textbook or description of this condition since then. So, for what it's worth, this association is mentioned in one resident manual from Baylor--I would be interested if anyone else found a more reliable source as a reference. Has anyone seen a case associated with maternal diabetes?

Also, ordinary gestational diabetes which is well controlled should not give you congenital defects in the offspring, much less this one. This sort of defect is usually associated with a mother with severe uncontrolled diabetes mellitus which she had before pregnancy, aside from the other cases which come sporadically or due to some other unknown genetic cause.Beezer137 22:18, 21 January 2007 (UTC)Beezer137

I Have CRS
It is not always "mermaid" like, I was born with two legs. They should definitely put up an article about the other types of caudal regression syndrome instead of this redirection. I have two legs, no motor activity from the knee down, limited flexibility of ankles & toes, missing sacrum & coccyx (sacral agenesis), etc. Dinosaur bones 07:38, 4 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree with Dinosaur bones. My daughter has CRS...she has some of the problems but certainly has nothing like the extreme Sienomelia symptoms. In fact, Sienomelia was formerly considered an extreme type of CRS, but is now separately classified.  It isn't approprial for 'Caudal Regression Syndrome' to redirect to this disorder. After I made a quick CRS page I realized there was a page for sacral agenesis...I will link them but I think the articles might be merged, but CRS is the more commonly used term so I think they should be merged under that name. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dantesothoth (talk • contribs) 01:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC).
 * Great spelling, liar. --Ragemanchoo (talk) 05:59, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Changed it a little
Hi^^ I changed "disorder" at the beginning to "congential deformity" because it's more specific. I also provided a link. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by OtakuNOVAkun (talk • contribs) 05:00, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

VACTERL association
My daughter, Rebecca Nicole Miller, was stillborn February 18, 2002. Before her birth, we were told that she had Potter syndrome (aka Renal agenesis). After she was born, the doctors determined that she had Sirenomelia and Goldenhar Syndrome. They mentioned a connection to VACTERL association. Millers2000 23:10, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Conflicting numbers? Just use both?
One page says 1/70,000 another says 1/100,000. This isn't all that different given the difficulty of calculating such a thing in the first place. Why not just mention both references in both articles? Zaphraud 07:16, 12 July 2007 (UTC)
 * The reference says (both pages have the same reference?): "with cyclopia or sirenomelia are born at an approximate rate of 1 in 100,000 births" hence this page is incorrect, and the other is correct. -Unsigned

Third Survivor - Kennebunkport
I'm not sure about a survivor in Asia, but the reason I looked up this page in Wikipedia today was because of an article in my local paper about Shiloh Pepin, an 8 year old survivor in Kennebunkport, ME. Here's the link to the article: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS/708020394 140.233.11.91 19:11, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I added her today. Corto 22:44, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Going to the bathroom
How do these people poop and pee? D-Fluff has had E-Nuff 21:18, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Picture(s), anybody?
Come on. This article warrants pictures. --Ragemanchoo (talk) 05:57, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Diabetes link
Yes, I know that in removing the 'citation needed' I used journals from all over the world, and the studies were not of the incidence, but the facts required by the call for citation are there, at least in reference. The journals I found that had firm data about the connection information were not available on line except by paying. --Dumarest (talk) 19:39, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Oprah
Wasn't there an Oprah show where they referred to a girl who couldn't feel pain as having "Mermaid Syndrome"? Whats the deal with that? Don't worry, it was a poorly written article I got that from, and now I see its just confusingly put together.24.65.95.239 (talk) 03:08, 27 November 2008 (UTC)


 * That was about Shiloh Pepin. A mention of the publicity she received, including Oprah, is currently not in the article but can be added if someone finds reliable sources.24.190.34.219 (talk) 15:58, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Documentary
I just watched a documentary about a girl with this syndrome, I forget the title but it showed a lady swirling her around in a pool. She has stomas with an intestinal bag so she got a specialized wetsuit to wear so she could swim in public pools. It discusses things like if she wanted to undergo surgery to divide the legs, things like that. Something like this is notable enough to mention in this article. I can't remember the name of the girl or anything though, maybe she's already mentioned? Either way, mentioning the documentary and the channel it was on would be valuable here, as I think it publicized a rare condition. Tyciol (talk) 19:51, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Gender
I can't see any intrinsic reason that this couldn't occur in males but so far every mention here or in the article is  of a female. If the condition is (much?) more likely in females the article should note that. Robert Brockway (talk) 05:14, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

I have had a Sirenomelia baby in 2000, and HE had two internal testicles, so yes it can occur in males. Shaunelle Baker

Why does Shiloh Pepin's name re-direct to this page?
I think it's a bit offensive that when you click on Shiloh Pepin's name, it redirects to the Sirenomelia page. It's certainly what she's known for publicly, and the curious are going to be interested in her disorder foremost, but I would be upset if my name were synonymous with my disability in my encyclopedia entry.

Can the hotlink on her name just be removed? Or is there some other point to it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.9.132.234 (talk) 04:49, 6 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Someone has, rightfully, corrected to re-direct to jump to the section of the article about her rather than simply the article itself. She isn't notable enough to have her own article and people may be searching for her, so this is probably the best option.24.190.34.219 (talk) 15:56, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Picture of stillborn foetus
I think this picture is too much. I wasn't expecting to see a stillborn foetus when I came to this article, and I find it deeply disturbing. The only other place I've seen a stillborn foetus is on a shock-site. Totally inappropriate. Conor Ó Brádaigh (talk) 07:07, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
 * It is used to illustrate a point. Also, there are policies against censorship. This came out of a fear awhile back that Wikipedia was turning into a pornography site (in some ways it is, just look at Commons), and the discussion was to keep things as is, with the user being the one who could take full responsibility of what they saw. I also doubt we have any free images of these women floating around. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 15:38, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
 * It wasn't my intention to shock anyone. I believe that the article about this syndrome is the only place where the photograph of an affected fetus is appropriate, and one should expect that this article may be illustrated. Personally I think that there are much more disturbing images at Commons. Filip em (talk) 16:31, 26 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes, the picture is too shocking. Doctors take an oath that includes a promise to shield the public from the horrors they are forced to deal with in their professions. It is therefore not a fringe belief that the average person shouldn't have to see such things unless they seek them out. Children come here, and they are likely to look up "mermaid". The "no censorship" concept doesn't give Wikipedia carte blanche. There are judgment and prudence and consideraton and a million other concepts just as valid and valuable as "no censorship". The picture should go. --68.44.93.68 (talk) 20:35, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I believe that we should take up this discussion elsewhere. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 02:46, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Picture deleted due to me having actual convulsions upon seeing it. It's not necessary to display pickled fetuses, you bastards. That was someone's lost child. 76.68.37.23 (talk) 23:45, 21 March 2010 (UTC)


 * "Doctors take an oath that includes a promise to shield the public from the horrors they are forced to deal with in their professions. " I have not seen the image so I have no opinion on it, but the quoted statement is deeply wrong. Doctors make no such oath. I have checked with a UK GP who verified this. I do not know about the US, but this link about US medical oaths and duties does not mention any such oath: http://www.enotes.com/everyday-law-encyclopedia/doctor-patient-confidentiality  Furthermore, I guess you've never been friends with medical people of the same age as you. They *love* telling gory stories - the worse the better.  RedTomato (talk) 18:23, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

I find it refreshing to actually see a picture of a baby affected with Sirenomelia, it is almost identical to how my baby looked. Im sure foetus is more appropriate but to myself it was a baby, my baby. Of all places a picture such as the above mentioned, would be appropriate is here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shaunellebaker (talk • contribs) 12:03, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Suggestions for re-wording
The section on Shiloh Pepin reads "Shiloh was the only one of the three survivors of sirenomelia without surgery for separation of the conjoined legs." As the section makes clear, Shiloh sadly died in 2009, therefore cannot be counted as "a survivor". Any suggestions for re-wording? Tonywalton Talk 21:52, 18 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Perhaps something like, "Shiloh was one of only three documented cases of children born with sirenomelia to have survived past babyhood without surgery for separation of the conjoined legs." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.177.64.45 (talk) 15:22, 2 August 2011 (UTC)