Sunday, September 09, 2007

0 Days Seizure Free

You know those signs that calculate how many days "accident free" for work sites or manufacturing facilities? Growing up in a town with many factories, these signs are still frequently highlighted outside factories like scoreboards. Well, I feel like I have one running in my head, but this one is for our Doodle and her number of days since her last seizure.

I have been getting cocky, even taking her to the pediatric neurologist less than 2 weeks ago and proudly announcing she had not had any seizure activity since our last appointment, as if I had somehow been the model parent and prevented any nasty seizures from entering our little girl's head...no overactive brain activity here, no way.

Well, last night ended our run and it always throws me for such a loop and sends me back to square one with wanting to protect her and hold her close all the time, watching her every move for the most minuscule of signs of seizure activity. We had all just gathered at the supper table for her favorite meal, spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. She had been fine all day, having soccer practice in the morning, playing outside, taking a bath, and then hanging out the rest of the afternoon. Nothing unusual or overly stressful. Well, she first complains about the garlic bread (not normal) and says she doesn't want any and that she is SO TIRED. Well, we just thought it was an attitude because we had the fresh garlic bread from the deli area instead of the frozen kind. Then she layed her head on the table and I told her to sit up...she said I am so tired...and then her eyes rolled back in her head and she begins to seize.

I hurried around the table to her and lifted her up, talking gently that she was okay and would be okay, told D to come and help me and then all of a sudden she unloaded (vomited) a great deal on me. everywhere. While gross, this seemed to bring her back around and we made it to the bathroom (and then the shower). She did get sick one more time within the next hour and then seemed to be back to normal. I did sleep out in the living room with her last night though just so I could keep a complete eye on her.

It scares the absolute &(%T out of me, every time. Cockiness gone, I am going to start looking online for a bracelet or necklace for her to wear that indicates she has epilepsy. Now that she is in 1st grade without Meesta in her class, she does dance class, gymnastics and soccer - if I am ever NOT RIGHT THERE, I don't want there to be any confusion about what is going on. I really didn't want to "label" her this way and we have done everything to keep her life as normal as possible, but given the suddenness of this last seizure, I feel I am actually doing her a disservice if I don't take that step.

On a slightly less serious note, after the initial seizure and vomiting episode, D was trying to keep the other 2 kids from being freaked out by the experience so he told them to "eat up". Please keep in mind I said that we were eating spaghetti...and the smell was less than appealing. I didn't have time to consider how hysterical this was until today...but poor kids, how COULD they eat with the smell and general grossness of it. I am sitting her still laughing about it.

Please keep Doodle in your prayers, it is no fun for her at all either.

CC

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh poor Doodle - and poor you, how scary for all of you. Thank goodness she recovered quickly. That would really freak me out. Don't feel bad about the ID bracelet - we made our kids wear bracelets with our info on them until they knew their phone #'s by heart... just to make me feel better.