Thursday, February 14, 2013
Life with 14 kids: Epilepsy, a diagnosis or a life change.
Life with 14 kids: Epilepsy, a diagnosis or a life change.: The last couple of months have been somewhat overwhelming and at the same time a challenge. I am a busy person, I like it that way, but when...
Epilepsy, a diagnosis or a life change.
The last couple of months have been somewhat overwhelming and at the same time a challenge. I am a busy person, I like it that way, but when three productions went down in one week, actually six days, and I was directing two of them, it was a little too exciting even for me. On top of that, one of my precious tweens had two grand mal seizures in the space of a week, resulting in Neurologist appointments, EEG and MRI, and finally a diagnosis of multi focal epilepsy which is not pleasant to read about when you google it.
We were at Disney with the kids school having a blast when I got the diagnosis which was hard to understand on phone voice mail where the messenger had an accent. I spent hours trying to reach a person to understand the message and when I finally could work out the words, and google, it seemed we had hit a new low. I have faced so many challenges with my new family, or New Thompson's as we call them, and seemingly we have overcome even faced with alarming odds.
My mind began to race mainly because Jada's younger sister has had three seizures and now I was concerned about her. Jada was already on medicine which was working beautifully, with no side effects, so far, but it was time to find out if we had any other challenges ahead. We were due to go back to the Neurologist so I made an appointment for Megg at the same time and we went, head on to either get a good report, or another "challenge". Lucky, there was a free appointment for an EEG at the same time, and even though I was told not to expect anything abnormal to show up, that was not the report. Megg not only had epilepsy waves in her right temporal lobe, but had birth damage there as well.
While I took in the news that there was a reason she had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby, I had to chuckle because she no longer exhibits any of those signs, even if there is evidence to say it should still exist. If fact, she is in ballet, not just classes, but company 2 ballet. Medicine is not appropriate, except in emergency, at this time because her seizures are too far apart, but, it proved to me that you take news as devastating or as a challenge, a new way to think, and a way to find good quality of life.
We have implemented safety plans now for both the girls, such as, no swimming EVER alone, no hot tubs alone either, partner to the bathroom at school, and emergency treatment if we are not present. While I really felt I had been thrown yet another condition I was ignorant of, and was overwhelmed, almost feeling panicked, I realize that knowledge is better than ignorance, and with that, and God, prayers and persistence, you can change your mind about diagnosis, and change the direction of life in an instant for the better armed with information and a positive attitude and outlook.
We were at Disney with the kids school having a blast when I got the diagnosis which was hard to understand on phone voice mail where the messenger had an accent. I spent hours trying to reach a person to understand the message and when I finally could work out the words, and google, it seemed we had hit a new low. I have faced so many challenges with my new family, or New Thompson's as we call them, and seemingly we have overcome even faced with alarming odds.
My mind began to race mainly because Jada's younger sister has had three seizures and now I was concerned about her. Jada was already on medicine which was working beautifully, with no side effects, so far, but it was time to find out if we had any other challenges ahead. We were due to go back to the Neurologist so I made an appointment for Megg at the same time and we went, head on to either get a good report, or another "challenge". Lucky, there was a free appointment for an EEG at the same time, and even though I was told not to expect anything abnormal to show up, that was not the report. Megg not only had epilepsy waves in her right temporal lobe, but had birth damage there as well.
While I took in the news that there was a reason she had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby, I had to chuckle because she no longer exhibits any of those signs, even if there is evidence to say it should still exist. If fact, she is in ballet, not just classes, but company 2 ballet. Medicine is not appropriate, except in emergency, at this time because her seizures are too far apart, but, it proved to me that you take news as devastating or as a challenge, a new way to think, and a way to find good quality of life.
We have implemented safety plans now for both the girls, such as, no swimming EVER alone, no hot tubs alone either, partner to the bathroom at school, and emergency treatment if we are not present. While I really felt I had been thrown yet another condition I was ignorant of, and was overwhelmed, almost feeling panicked, I realize that knowledge is better than ignorance, and with that, and God, prayers and persistence, you can change your mind about diagnosis, and change the direction of life in an instant for the better armed with information and a positive attitude and outlook.
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