My family went to see the Sistine Chapel Exhibit yesterday.
No pushing and shoving. No guards yelling “Silencio!” No flag to follow.
We stood next to each giant panel and really looked at it.
It was wonderful.
https://seizuremamaandrose.org/2019/01/14/staring-at-the-ceiling/
Rose’s drug 2D required periodic lab work to check blood levels.She has always been a passive patient. I did not expect her to resist any treatments based on prior experience. So, I was surprised when we had a struggle getting some blood drawn at the local hospital.
We waited in the waiting room to be called. I thumbed through magazines while Rose sat near the television. When her name was called, I picked her up to head back to a room. She squirmed, so I switched her to my other hip. The lab technician was a middle-aged man. Since Rose was small, she was positioned lying down on a table for blood to be drawn.
“No, wait!” she said.
“But we need to get your labs done. It’s our turn.” I reminded her.
“No, wait! ” she yelled. Rose began to squirm and cry and point at the door.
The man asked if he should tie her down to the table. Now, Mama wanted to yell.
I explained that Rose usually did not resist labs. I also pointed out that if we tied her to the table today, we would have trouble just getting her in the room next time. I took Rose back out to the waiting room. I calmly resumed looking at magazines and she went back to watching the television. I nonchalantly told her to let me know when she was ready to get her labs done.
I kept peeking out from the magazine, watching her. What was different about this time? It was not long before she came and stood beside me. I glanced up from my magazine. “Ready,” she said.
I informed the receptionist at the desk that we were ready to try again. Her name was called. We went back into the room. She calmly lay on the table. The blood was drawn without incident.
As we were walking back through the waiting room to leave, Rose pointed to the television and said, “No more Gilligan.”
She did not mean she wanted to “wait” to get the blood work done. She wanted to go back to the waiting room and finish watching Gilligan’s Island.
Seizure Mama speaks to parents.
All the tests and labs that may be required for treatment of epilepsy may be confusing to your child. You need to put up a good front. They will follow your lead if you act matter-of-fact about the procedures. Discuss what is about to be done. You may even want to draw a picture of the needles and wires. That way they will know what to expect.
I knew that if I let this lab technician tie Rose down to the table this time, that I could not even get her back into a room next time. She would, however, be happy to come back to the lobby to see Gilligan.
I love the fresh hope that comes with a new specialist. It feels like a pro has been added to a team of amateurs. Expectations are raised to new heights.
We really did gain confidence in Rose’s treatment temporarily. Dr. T had expertise and experience. We felt we were in good hands. We were for a while.
Dr. T was very focused and proactive at first. Then her partner left. She had all the patients of the practice. I do not blame her for being scattered. She seemed distracted and even testy when we questioned what she was saying. My notes from our appointments confirmed the randomness of her recommendations.This ship was sinking.
It is really scary to switch specialist. A second opinion must be requested. A letter and records must be sent to an unknown doctor. It is like starting over.
It takes bravery, or at least desperation, to move to a new neurologist. There is that word again!
BRAVE
The uncertainty that comes with seizures requires constant bravery from everyone. Fear has to be met head-on. Hide it, swallow it, curse it, whatever it takes. Just do not let fear keep you with an ineffective doctor or ineffective drug. Listen to your gut. Your child’s future depends on your making good decisions. Based on facts NOT fears.
Next up: Chapter 8: Gilligan at the Lab on Saturday, June 19, 2021
Rose’s first visit to a neurologist was months after her first officially epileptic seizure. During the previous months she had tried one drug that failed and was on a second that was prescribed by her pediatrician. Many tests had been run including an electroencephalogram(EEG). She had experienced a second big seizure. We were anxious to learn everything we could from this appointment.
Dr. T’s diagnosis was complex partial epilepsy. This meant that Rose’s seizures started in a certain place in her brain and then generalized to a full seizure know as grand mal or tonic clonic. This made sense to us because her febrile seizures started with chin twitching. Rose referred to these as a “tornado in her mouth.” She could not speak during these episodes, but she could point to her mouth. That little aura served as a warning that was so helpful in those early days. The “tornado” aura soon disappeared, so that we were all surprised by Rose falling to the floor.
Since her seizures were lengthy, Dr.T advised us to get CPR training. She recommended that we call 911 for any seizure lasting more than five minutes. We knew that longer seizures meant danger to her brain and her life. Her dad, brother and I vigilantly watched her, but since Rose was a very active little girl, this was not easy. Our family started tag-teaming “Rose watch” duty. She always stayed within earshot of the person responsible for her.We made sure someone was always nearby and alert.
The neurologist evaluated Rose physically and mentally with simple tests. She was extremely bright and was evaluated as entry-level first grade, although she was just entering her last year of preschool. Dr.T instructed us to watch for developmental backsliding and side effects involving Rose’s gums. After our experience with her first drug 1T we knew that such changes were plausible. We hoped that this second drug would do its job without the side effects.
The plan was to stay on drug 2D for three years and then slowly wean down and off if no more seizures occurred. We were glad to hear that these childhood seizures might eventually diminish. Our new goal was three seizure-free years.
We jumped through all the seizure-prevention hoops. Rose took all medications on time. She was encouraged to take afternoon naps even if it was just quiet time in her bed. We diligently watched for fevers and treated each immediately with a red or pink over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug(NSAID).
Seizure Mama speaks to parents:
The term SUDEP(Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy) was not coined at this point. We knew that during Rose’s first long seizure her heart may have stopped. We knew that the longer and stronger the seizures were, the more dangerous and life-threatening they were. This was always in the back of our minds. It is still in the back of our minds. Rose is twenty-six years old and away at college, but that fear still remains here. You must go on with your life despite this threat. Uncertainty is present in every life; you just got yourself a big ol’ dose of it to hide somewhere.
THEN and NOW will be posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.
Mama has a lot to say about this. Whew!
Epilepsy requires bravery from everyone involved.
Mama had to fight through a whole lot of fear to get to the brave side of the continuum. The fear is always there. The bravery has to be sought for and fought for. This was the hard part for me, but not for Rose.
Bravery is in her blood. Sometimes she reminds me of Lieutenant Dan in the movie Forrest Gump. She is perched atop the mast of her boat yelling at the storms and shaking her fist. That is her super power.
Where did this come from? Experience. Rose knows her storms are inevitable, so instead of going below to cower, she climbs her mast and dares it to destroy her. No where is safe. Might as well give epilepsy the finger.
Her bravery has been a surprise since she was small. Doctors expected to drug her for certain procedures. “No need.” I told them. She sat quietly watching or lay in the tunnels with her eyes on me as machines examined her insides. Her bravery was a blessing. It forced me be brave or at least pretend to be brave.
Reposting of Chapter 7: The First Neurologist will be on Saturday, June 12.
Rose had seizures everywhere. On these many occasions, I plastered a smile on my face and looked folks in the eye as they glanced down and walked by. What’s so unusual about a grown woman sitting on the floor/ground beside an unconscious little girl?
Rose had a particularly dramatic series in an undisclosed, public location. As I was sitting on the floor in a hallway, a woman with healthy children walked by, patted me on the shoulder and said “Be brave” and walked away.
I am on the floor. My child is unconscious, again. Be brave? Do you tell a person with cancer to be brave? Do you pat the shoulder of someone being wheeled in to open-heart surgery and whisper “Be brave.” to the patient?
What choice do we have? Seizures disrupted ballgames, picnics, award ceremonies, bible school, birthday parties and dinners in restaurants.
I am tired of being brave. How about sitting on the floor with me? Wait with me down here on the floor. Anchored to this spot until it’s over. Until Rose comes back to me.
Stay and help us up.If you really care, don’t walk away leaving us to be brave down here alone and afraid.
Seizure Mama Speaks to parents:
Seizures may show up wherever you go. Please do not stay at home wondering and waiting. Other people cannot understand what you are going through if you do not tell them. Most folks truly want to help, but do not know what to say or do. Do not waste your emotional energy getting mad at others because of this. I do not know what to say to my grieving friends. I am always afraid of saying the wrong thing. But what does my silence say? Be brave!
Then and Now will be posted on Wednesday: June 9 2021
This story always brings back a lot of emotions. I am STILL tired of being brave.
The good part of this story was that Rose had an aura. She knew something was coming, so she went inside and lay on the couch. Rose had auras during what we call “Phase One” of her epilepsy. She could point to her mouth to let us know a seizure was coming. We did not know how lucky we were then.
The period we call “Phase Two” had no auras. Rose was thrown to the ground with great force and no warning. Her arms were stiff so that her falls were not broken. Many injuries occurred due to the sudden seizure onset and gravity.
We usually raised a dosage of a drug after each seizure until the levels got high enough to know the drug would not work or, even worse, Rose went toxic on that drug. This happened several times. It was just as scary as seizures. We felt we were poisoning her while trying to save her.
This is why it is so important to write down every change in drugs and every change in your child. At some point, you may be too distressed to recall important information. I spent many days in a panicked fog. I could trust my notes but not my memory.
If you can identify aura symptoms and watch for them, you can prevent injuries from falling. Rose eventually described hers as a “tornado in her mouth.”
I know this is a lot of things to remember but I want to be thorough. I am trying to cover details that I did not include in our book.
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
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
Rose’s first seizure medication was a chewable tablet we will call 1T. Now we knew that the cause of the seizures was always in her brain, not just showing up with fevers. The enemy was a resident, not a visitor. Our family was in a constant state of vigilance. I do not say this lightly. Our vigilance continued for decades. We were emergency-ready twenty-four/seven. Rose nicknamed herself 24/7 because of this. We all tried to play this down, but it was what it was. Epilepsy was the new center of our universe, but we tried to carry on as before.
With the drug 1T, Rose became more active and hungry. She seemed hyper-emotional compared to her prior happy-go-lucky self. Was this change due to the new drug or an after-effect of the big seizure? Her carefree childhood was transformed into a series of tests and medications and worried faces.
Our family planned a camping trip for mid-June. We hauled the boat and tent to a state park for a week of fun. Our campsite was along the shore of a crystal-clear lake. Some friends with a daughter Rose’s age came to visit and spend a day with us out on the water. Rose had a lot of fun on this trip. She made her own little playhouse inside a folded lawn chair. What an adventure.
Her dad and I had discussed what we would do if a seizure occurred during our stay here. We knew where the hospital was. We located the park office. There were officials around who could help if needed. We made our plans in case of emergency. We had the bag phone. We were cautious, but brave.
During the night on Wednesday, I was awakened by unusual noises and motion beside me in the dark tent. I quickly switched on my flashlight. Rose was seizing in her sleep. Her face and neck were covered in drool. Her skin looked splotchy. The seizure was short.
I laid back down on my sleeping bag, keeping a hand on Rose. I lay there thinking about what a crazy, stupid mother I must be to have my baby here in the middle of nowhere, in a locked campground, in a tent, in the dark. This event was the beginning my paranoid hopes of buying a house across the street from a hospital. That way we would always have medical help close-by.
When Rose awoke the next morning, she was scratching her neck. I pulled up her pajama top. A prickly red rash covered her torso and upper arms. Her lips were swollen. The bag phone was used to call her pediatrician. His diagnosis was that Rose had experienced an allergic reaction to the new drug, 1T.
Camp was broken. The tent was bagged up. Supplies were tossed haphazardly into the pontoon boat and the back of the truck. We headed back to civilization and safety.
We stopped by the doctor’s office and pharmacy on the way home. Drug 1T was not the right drug. There were more to choose from. Lots more. Surely the next one would do the trick and stop the seizures without side effects. Seizures had been around for centuries. Surely there was an effective drug to fix this.
Seizure Mama speaks to parents:
A drug is a drug. It is a chemical compound, not a magic wand. It does what it does with the other chemicals in the body. Drugs are not dynamic substances. They work or they don’t. If a drug is not working, move on.
After trying several different drugs, we began to feel obligated to give each new drug more time, and sometimes more chances than it probably deserved. We were afraid to damn each one for fear there was not a new drug waiting in the wings. Learn their names. Know their half-lives. Keep records of their effects and side-effects. When the evidence shows the drug is ineffective, move to another or a new combination. Do not linger with a drug failure.
My charts of drugs and dosages, seizures, and side effects gave us confidence to move forward in terms of medications and treatments. It also eliminated “re-inventing the wheel” when we had to change doctors or go to a new clinic for tests.
THEN and NOW will be posted on Wednesday, May 26 2021
Seizure Mama and Rose 