Starting my day with a call to 911 was not on my newly created “To Do” list or marked on my recently-hung calendar to help keep me organized this year. But I don’t believe ones usually very healthy six year old having a seizure is something you can actually predict and plan for.
At about 5:30 AM, I was awakened by Cameron twitching next to me. (He had crawled into our bed a couple hours earlier due to yet another nightly accident in his own bunk).
Cameron’s right leg, arm, hand and his head was twitching. His eyes were open, which was very eerie, but he wasn’t coherent at all. I immediately woke up my husband, who tried to get him to stop, but quickly instructed me to call 911. The operator sent out an ambulance (although it was actually an SUV and a bunch of cop cars that showed up much later than I would have imagined), but by the time everyone arrived, he had stopped seizing, was coherent, and was acting normal again.
Because the other two kids were still sleeping, Melvin took Cameron to the hospital while I stayed home. I had a few people tell me that I should have called them and they would have come over so that I could have gone as well. But honestly, I’m glad I wasn’t there for the blood drawing and IV insertion. Oh, and he vomited a couple times on the way to the hospital and while he was there as well. Although him puking in the car doesn’t sound very humorous, but later Cameron and I had a big laugh about this. Because he barfed in his DADDY’s car. Not mine, which smells like puke anyhow, but in his daddy’s precious SUV that no one can eat, drink, or wear shoes in (wouldn’t want shoe marks on the back of the chairs would we!).
Sara ended up being able to come early today, and I made it to the hospital a few hours later as Cameron was sleeping while getting an MRI done. When he saw me, instead of an excited, “Mommy!” I thought I might hear, I was instead greeted with, “Where’s Max?”
We then hung out a little more, waited forever for some gross hospital lunch that was over an hour late, and then Cameron had an EEG, which involved a lot of wires glued to his head, some psychedelic flashing lights and a very odd technician whose own brain just might have been altered by such constant flashing.
Then it was back to the hospital room, where I managed to get in about a 15 minute nap while Cameron finished watching a “sympathy” movie. Meaning his dad felt so bad about what he was going through that he allowed him to watch the movie he’s been begging to see but which we had already told him he wasn’t old enough for and plus he had to read the books before he was allowed to watch the film. I’m talking Harry Potter here. It was definitely over his head, and he spent half the time playing with the bed controls making himself rise and fall with the push of a button, but he was thrilled to finally be able to see it nonetheless.
Next dinner came, and just as we were setting up one of Cameron’s favorite board games to play, the neurologist came and ended up telling us that his MRI was fine…which is good. That meant no lesions or tumors on the brain, which was my huge fear. But he then said that his EEG was abnormal and because of what Cameron experienced with the seizure and the printout of the EEG, he diagnosed him with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy.
According to the neurologist, it’s not supposed to affect his cognitive or physical abilities. He may continue to have seizures, or not. They often begin around the age of 6 and kids usually outgrow it by adolescence. Until we get a second opinion, he’ll be taking the medicine prescribed to him twice a day. It’s not supposed to have any side effects according to the doctor, but the literature my husband looked up states otherwise. So we’re very nervous about this and seeking several other opinions before we commit to this prescribed treatment.
And if a seizure does occur again, we have a syringe to pump up his rear!
This kind of epilepsy is more common in kids who have close relatives with epilepsy. So for all of you family members who read this blog…any closet epileptics out there?
After waiting for the discharge beaurocracy to go through and the meds to be available in the pharmacy, is was after 7:00 when we finally left that building.
Cameron couldn’t wait to get home to see Max…who had a called a handful of times wanting to know when his big brother was going to be home. They were literally hugging each other when watching Tom & Jerry tonight.
Thank you to all those who had us in your prayers today. I’m so grateful to our Lord, as things could have been much worse. Now we just pray for the proper choice of medical intervention and no more seizures.
So a tumultuous day it was and a lot to think and worry about. I do believe a glass of wine is in order now.
Labels: Cameron, epilepsy, hospital, seizure
