Our family had the tradition of staying on the same two beautiful islands during vacation each summer. These two destinations were adjoined by a bridge. We either rented a house on one island or a first-floor condo on the other. Both locations were on the beach. My parents could watch the ocean from the porches.
This particular year we stayed in the usual condo. There was an adjacent lawn with plenty of play-space off the patio and a nearby pool. It was the perfect location to easily keep track of two young children.
We were in the middle of a family ballgame on the lawn when Rose suddenly stopped playing and walked determinedly toward the condo.She stepped inside and immediately laid down on the couch in the living room. The couch was under an air conditioning vent. Her chin began to quiver and twitch as her face darkened. Her torso was hot, but her limbs were chilled. This seizure was about ten minutes long. We wondered what conditions may have brought this on. Was it not taking a nap? Getting too hot then too cold? Maybe the dosage of drug 2D was too low? This was the constant guessing game we played after each seizure. Why now? What caused it? What should we do differently?
When we returned home a blood level of drug 2D was taken. Rose’s dosage was increased.
Seizure Mama speaks to parents:
What caused this seizure? Epilepsy is the obvious answer. We seemed to ignore the elephant in the room over and over. It amazes me how we kept questioning the cause of each seizure like it had a new source. Yes, there were triggers that promoted the onset. We suspected that rapid temperature changes were a trigger many times.
You cannot keep your child in a bubble. Get out of the house. We spent a lot of time on the floor in public places. Me sitting beside my unconscious daughter and wishing we both could become invisible. Wishing we were someplace where scared and puzzled folks couldn’t stare at us.
So how would we prevent this? Stay home waiting for the next seizure. Avoiding any stimuli that might be a trigger. Is this an appropriate life for a little girl? Her parents? Her brother? Hiding and waiting?
The seizures will come whether you are hiding at home or enjoying an outing. Pack a bag of seizure supplies. Put your child in a cute helmet if necessary. Go out and have a life between these damn things.
THEN and NOW will be posted on Wednesday June 2, 2021
Seizure Mama and Rose 