Category: seizures

Nobody Argues with Paper

Write everything down. Take notes on envelopes and receipts. Keep all this in one place. Just date it and throw it in the box or drawer. That way these facts are not swirling around in your mind and cluttering your thinking. When you need some bit of information from your stash, get a notebook, paper and tape. Use them to organize the scraps. We use dividers to separate the years.

I cannot tell you how many times I started worrying about something in the middle of the night and had to go to “the drawer” to retrieve a forgotten piece of data before I could go back to sleep. All those pieces of paper saved Rose and resulted in our book.

We made a chart for each year and wrote down any event. We can glance at that one page and get a sense of how our lives were at that time. It is nice to put this away for safe-keeping instead of remembering it over and over.

A year in the life of our Rose.

When medications were being changed quickly, we made a different chart with drugs, days, seizures and side effects right there in black and white. We took these to appointments. Nobody argues with paper.

The chart from HELL. Mercy!!!!

I learned this trick as a teacher. I posted the rules on the wall of my classroom. When a rule was broken the student might try to argue. It was then I would simply walk to the poster and point to the broken rule and pause. The rules had been up since day one. No reasonable person would argue.

So the file drawer eventually became two full file cabinets. They are full of marked up seizure books we have read, articles we researched. All her records of every prescription by years are in one drawer. Twenty years went by in the blink of an eye, but it’s all there if I need it. Nobody argues with paper.

The notebooks.

Once when we were leaving the EMU, Rose was being sent home on dosages that were too low. The doctor in charge was abrupt and intimidating. I meekly showed him my records of Rose seizing on that low dosage. He looked and paused, but said nothing. Her dosages were not changed. We went home. She had a long, strong seizure on the couch while the neighbors were visiting. I called back to the EMU, the dosages were raised immediately. I guess he did not want to be wrong until he was proved wrong. Nobody argues with paper.

Mama FLOW

Hovering Over Rose

(THEN and NOW for Chapter 22:Safety During the Seizure Cycle)

There is no other way to describe our parenting style during those terrible months. It is hard to act relaxed when you are constantly on high alert, but we tried. We endured puzzled looks from strangers. Sometimes we got unsolicited advice. We learned to tolerate all this. It was part of the over-protective parent package. We were protecting Rose from injury, not public opinion.

I know this is a hard pill to swallow. Most folks mean well and are truly trying to help. Some advice is so ridiculous that taking it would be harmful. Our worst treatment suggestion came from a loaned book. It stated that we should hook up the patient to a car battery and shock him/her to kill the Ascaris lumbricoides (worm)larva that were clustering at the base of the brain and cutting off the oxygen supply.

Wow! Thanks!

You do what you have to do. This is your fragile child. You will have to live with the results of the drugs and injuries. You need to let the opinion of others fade into the periphery and stay focused on your child’s needs.

If the doctor suggests a helmet, let your child pick it out and decorate it. If you cannot safely leave home without your child strapped in a wheel chair, get one and decorate it for a parade. Embrace whatever it is you need to do to carry on, and do it shamelessly. (I once saw an advertisement for colostomy bags with matching bikinis. That’s how it’s done! )

Sometimes I wonder if I am helping anyone. I do not like giving advice, but I am telling you what I wish someone had told me twenty years ago.

FLOW

Change Causes Change

Reposted Chapter 20: Drug Changes Change Rose

Things fell apart. Drug 4L had been added to drug 3S after the seizures during the holidays. At first drug 4L made Rose mean. Getting her schoolwork done was a battle. Either she would not or could not concentrate. Were these changes due to the new drug, the new homebound situation, or the seizures? Her ear infections continued, so antibiotics were frequently in the mix.
We kept records of all her drug dosages and combinations, along with seizure descriptions on a chart. We couldn’t keep all of it straight unless we wrote it down. The months were a blur of seizures, side effects and sickness. I read books about epilepsy and researched epilepsy drugs and treatments. It was all so confusing. How could we help our Rose if we did not understand this disorder and the effects of its medications? I felt helpless and hopeless. Rose was changing as her drugs changed.
Appointments with the neurologist became very frustrating. The partner of the practice had left, so our doctor was handling a double load of patients. We used to feel like there was a set plan for Rose’s treatment; now it seemed like one long experiment. The doses for drug 4L kept increasing and we saw nothing but side effects. Her seizures became longer and stronger. We must have missed the window of effectiveness for drug 4L. Finally it was dropped and drug 5Z was added to her doses of 3S. Experimenting with the wrong drugs and dosages went on for months. Every few days, Rose would have a long, strong seizure. She would spend a day or two recovering before another seizure knocked her back down. I did not leave her anymore. I was too scared.
Sometimes on the weekends when Rose’s dad was home, Rose’s brother would ride the trails through the woods around our house. I would go with him carrying my camera and a walkie talkie. If a seizure occurred, her dad could call me to come back. I would hike through the woods and allow myself to cry. This was the only time I would leave the house. I walked the paths in our woods relieved to be out of our sad house where the walls kept closing in.
I never let Rose see me cry. We did not want her to see us saddened or scared. We were losing her. Her essence was disappearing. She was a groggy, foggy, tired mess. The drugs were not helping anything. The seizures were wearing her down and the drugs were ruining the time in between them.

Seizure Mama speaks to parents:

I am ashamed to look at the records from these terrible months. Why did we not get a second opinion sooner? Why did we not demand to go to an EMU? The awful reason was that we thought going to the EMU was a big step toward surgery. I had read about the different surgeries that were used to stop seizures. I wanted to give every drug a full chance to work. When I look back at her charts of medication combinations now, I am horrified.
Drug changes were being made frequently and almost in a random fashion. I think the neurologist was on overload and was pushed to try things because of my constant calls and letters. She was seemingly experimenting with various possible remedies.
It took the terrible scare of Rose going toxic for us to decide that enough was enough and seek a second opinion from a different neurologist in a different city. That was a turning point for us. Don’t wait that long.

First Drug Down: Then and Now

Finding the right medication or combination of medications takes a lot of experimentation. We experimented for over twenty years. The drug that works for Rose had not been invented yet when we started.

You must be your child’s data collector. The doctor’s may keep records of the drug dosages, but you see the effects of those drugs. This is too important to leave to memory alone. Keep good records of mood changes, appetite changes, sleep issues and learning issues, as well as side effects and seizures.

This first chart is titration instructions given by her neurologist. This was helpful in filling Rose’s pill organizer. I could mark each day off as I filled the boxes.

This second photo is a chart we made of all the dosages tried and the results of each combination. As you can see, there were many changes. The side effects and seizures continued no matter the levels. This chart helped convince the doctor that this was not the drug for Rose. Keeping thorough records will prevent retrying combinations, especially if you switch neurologists at some point.

The last chart is a ‘Year on a Page’ that has all medical events for that time period. One of these is at the front of each year’s section in a series of notebooks we have on Rose’s treatments. I can glance at this page and then look through that section to locate specific events as needed.

PLEASE keep all your records together. You can sort them when the struggles diminish, but at least they will all be where you can find them when you need them. We kept everything in a cluttered file drawer. It is still a mess, but everything is in there…somewhere.

I am so glad we did this. I firmly believe our records helped get Rose to the right drugs. Only you can see the whole picture; medication dosages, side effects and seizures. Keep track of it all. It will make a difference.

Seized on an Island will be posted on Saturday, May 29, 2021

Your Present Our Past

I awoke thinking of you. You are on my mind.

My struggling mothers keep reminding me of our past.

You are where we were, that hard place, that dark tunnel.

Preparing for hospitals and tests. Trying new drugs.

Hoping with all your heart that this will stop the seizures.

You may be in different states and across an ocean, but we are right there.

Your messages take my breath and make me cry.

I feel your pain and know your angst.

I wish I could help. I have no advice. All journeys are unique.

Just know there is Another Mother who gets it.

Your present is our past.

My sincere hope is that all our futures are seizure free and worry free.

Seizure Mama/Flower Roberts

 

 

When IT Comes Back

I was reminded by one of my other mothers how I felt

when IT came back.

A seizure happens after a long seizure-free spell.

You are thinking that IT has finally left her alone.

It throws her down while you are not there.

She is injured, you are shaken.

At some point we have accepted that IT will be back.

We will not let it steal the time in between.

We will do what we want and be who we want

until IT returns.

Getting back up is the most important part.

IT will NOT keep her down.

Flower

Attached is the post I wrote when Rose had her first seizure while away at the university. I was sad and angry and scared…

https://seizuremamaandrose.org/2018/11/12/battle-ground/

 

Wonderful Day: Terrible Night

This happened three years ago this week. Unfortunately, every bit is true.

Rose says it was the beginning of bad times for our family, but I know better. There were many unfortunate incidences before this. We just shielded our Rose from the trauma. This was actually when I began to realize I was not in charge. That has been a great comfort.

This story is near the end of our book. I consider the chapters that follow to be the best I have written. I guess I had to get really low for everything to come together in a Revelation. (Next story)

Story 51:  Two Down One Night

The day of college graduation finally arrived. Rose was super excited. She led the procession of over four hundred graduates. She looked glowing in her cap and gown with gold tassels and sash. She had worked hard for this day for six years. She had taken classes at the community college part-time and worked at a restaurant just down the street. This ceremony was a victory for all of us.
We arrived early so we could save the entire front row for family and friends. I was there with my camera to get photos of Rose and her fellow students as they strolled past. I knew hundreds of these students from either teaching at the middle school or at the college. It was like a reunion for me. What a wonderful night for our family. My parents could not attend due to mobility issues, but my sister was there, along with Rose’s dad, his sister and her husband, Rose’s- two cousins, and her brother. Rose’s other set of grandparents made it to the ceremony. It was a big event for the whole family, one we thought we may never witness. But here we were watching our Rose, smiling brightly as she led the line of graduates to their seats. She looked so happy and beautiful.
The ceremony was really long, but I enjoyed watching many of my former students parading across the stage. I felt like I was graduating, too. In a way I was. I would no longer be driving here every day and spending hours in the library, the science building, and the parking lots. Our time here was officially ending. Rose had a plan of what to do next, but I did not.
The ceremony ended. There were more photos and many hugs. As we were all parting ways, my sister’s phone rang. Our parents’ neighbor called to tell us that our mother had fallen down some steps backwards. She was being transported by ambulance to a hospital. The neighbor was driving my dad to the Emergency Room. The hospital they were going to was over an hour’s drive from where we were. We decided not to share the news with Rose. We wanted her to have this special night without the worry.
My sister and I raced to her car. We drove to my house to pack a few things before heading to the hospital. As I was rushing around my room throwing clothes in a bag, my cell phone rang. The man on the line stated that he was with the Emergency Medical Services. He told me my daughter had fallen and gotten injured. “No,” I said. “My mother has fallen. We are on our way to the hospital now.” “No ma’am,” he replied. “Your daughter has had a seizure and gotten hurt.” I collapsed on the bed screaming. My sister rushed into the room. I told the man to call my husband’s phone. I gave him the number. I hung up my phone only to hear another one start ringing in the other room. My husband had left his cell phone at home on the charger. My phone rang again. It was Rose’s friend Carol trying to find anyone in Rose’s family. I gave her Rose’s brother’s number. She called back minutes later to tell me Rose was fine now. I was hysterical. Lightning might as well have struck me. God PLEASE, I am not this strong! Two people I loved needed me and I was apart from them both. There was nothing that I could do. Helpless and hysterical! The combo from hell!
My son called the house phone soon after. He and his dad had run back up the street to the college to be with Rose. Her dad got on the phone and told me to head on to the hospital to take care of my mama. My sister drove that hour as I rode in silence, wondering why life can’t just come at you in single file instead of a damn Charlie Foxtrot.

Seizure Mama speaks to parents:

Yes, I was mad. I felt like God had pushed my mama down those steps while I was busy at Rose’s graduation. Then he lured me into a car with my sister and threw Rose down in the parking lot the minute my back was turned. My status as superhero had been sabotaged!

I was about to get another lesson about my not being in charge. I don’t know where I got the idea that I was a super-hero, but that role kept getting snatched away from me. Instead I would get stuck being a helpless observer, on the sidelines watching life go on with no help from me. My mama had fallen down. I wasn’t there to save her. My Rose had just had a seizure. I wasn’t there to help her either. How dare God take the wheel of my car? Who did he think he was dealing with?

Does this sound like the rant of a grown woman? How about a crazy woman? Let the anger out. Then take a deep breath and do what’s within your power. No superpowers available, just you doing your best for your child.

 

 

The Rose Museum

Whenever I miss Rose, I go to the Rose Museum.

Her entire life is archived into this small space(her room).

The wallpaper has not been changed.

The walls are covered with photographs and ribbons.

The shelves are stuffed full of photo albums, books and DVDs.

There are fairies everywhere.

The closet is packed with shoes, dresses, purses and toys.

Things go into the museum, but they never leave.

I am not allowed to straighten or clean.

I must dust delicately and sweep carefully.

Why the archives? She needs to remember.

Her memory cannot be trusted.

There were too many drugs and too many seizures.

The museum is her memory.

I do not need it to remember Rose, but Rose does.

Mama

http://a.co/7F3u4dr

 

A New Neurologist

Story 26 (September 2002)

After the toxicity scare, we no longer had confidence in neurologist #1. The doctor’s responses to our questions seemed short and unfocused. The drug and dose changes that she recommended seemed random. Our chart of drug changes was full of changes in dosages and seizures.
We asked for a second opinion. This first neurologist sent a letter of introduction for Rose to another neurologist in a different city. The letter described Rose’s condition and drug trials and requested a second look at Rose’s possible treatments for the future. I bet neurologist #1 was happy to pass hot-potato Rose off for some re-enforcements. I appreciated that a second specialist was going to have input into Rose’s care.
Our first visit with neurologist #2 took hours. He was very thorough and reassuring. He wanted to nail down the type and source of these seizures. He felt that Rose had been prescribed too many drugs on too small doses to rule them out as an effective treatment. He wanted Rose in an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit(EMU) to get a video-EEG. He said he felt we had been yawing around the pond of treatment choices.
This was a relief for us. We felt the same way. I was like Rose had been part of a badly designed experiment with too many variables. We were now going to get some hard data we could use to get better results. We finally felt hopeful.
We felt like this doctor heard what we were saying and understood what we were feeling. We didn’t just want to try something new. We wanted what we did next to be the right choice, not just a random change. We needed all the cards to be put on the table. It was time. Rose needed to learn and grow, not fall and fail.

Seizure Mama speaks to parents:

No one doctor knows everything. Each has his/her own training and experiences. It is always good to get a second opinion. Do not be afraid to ask for one. It may be just what you need to get a better result. Your current, struggling physician may appreciate your nicely worded, respectful request.
Do not, however, bounce from one specialist to the next in hopes of finding a quick fix. Patience is needed when trying out drugs and doctors. Do not secretly sneak around because each physician needs to see all your child’s records to make informed decisions and avoid repeating failed treatments.
I would also advise getting a second opinion for any surgical procedure. Even though installing a VNS(vagus nerve stimulator) may be a simple procedure, the device is permanent. You are making decisions for your child. Do it carefully and wisely. Get as much input as is reasonable.

An Inspiring Memoir

If you feel your epilepsy is holding you back, you may need a dose of Jon Sadler.

I was amazed by his tenacious nature over and over again.

He became an engineer and then earned a masters in counseling.

He sailed boats alone and hiked the Grand Canyon.

He was a scout leader for his sons’ troop.

He kept going through seizures and surgery.

This book will be a confidence booster for any adult with epilepsy.

Jon Sadler shares his amazing history in Sailing Through the Storms of Seizures.

His “no excuses” attitude is catching.IMG_0032

 

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