If you haven’t read part 1 yet start there Epilepsy – B’s Road to Diagnosis – Part 1.

Bradyn’s second experience with seizures was no less terrifying than the first.

One of the things that the doctors told us the first time around was that the hardest part was going to be the wait to see if it ever happened again. For months we waited and nothing happened. We carried that rescue med with us everywhere and never needed it. Over time we got comfortable, forgot the daily fear and stopped waiting for it to happen. I changed jobs. We moved from Arkansas to San Antonio. Bradyn was 2.

On a random Monday, Kyle was out of town, I took Bradyn to the pediatrician for shots. After the appointment I took B to childcare and then went to work. I had been at work for no more than ten minutes when his babysitter called and told me he was vomiting and I needed to come pick him up. I called his doctor, no one was alarmed, they told me to keep him hydrated and let him rest. We spent the week at home, nothing significant happened. He was just a little sick. To sick for daycare but not sick enough to stay in bed all day.

On Friday I had a meeting at work that I really needed to attend so my dad came over to stay with B while I went out for a bit. I left, was gone for a few hours and returned. Dad said B did great, they had spent the time playing. My dad was about to leave, we were standing in the living room talking about the weekend. Bradyn was toddling between us pulling one of those little toys on a string that makes noise as its pulled. He looked disoriented, walked into a table and fell back on to his diapered bottom. I chuckled and told him to be careful, started to reach for him but my dad got there first. When he scooped him up I could see his arms twitching, my dad told me to call 911. I reached for the phone got a hold of a 911 operator and explained what was going on.

At some point we switched. Dad took the phone and I took Bradyn. The seizure only lasted about 2 minutes but it felt like forever. After it was over the fire trucks and the ambulances started showing up. The first responders immediately began telling us all about febrile seizures and assuring us there was no real reason to transport B to the hospital. I called the pediatrician and asked her what she wanted us to do. I told her that I wanted a referral to a neurologist and told her that I would do whatever she wanted me to in order to secure that referral. She told us to go to an urgent care clinic nearby so that they could look him over and on Monday I would have the referral.

The urgent care clinic was packed. We waited for hours. As time went on B started looking better and better. He wanted down, he wanted to walk. Dad took him outside and he walked back and forth up and down the sidewalk. I started to wonder if it really was just a seizure caused by a spiking temperature and if I was overreacting. Finally they called our name and we were taken into an exam room. The doctor was wonderful. She looked B over and didn’t find anything alarming. Took some blood and left to call his pediatrician. While she was gone it started again. One second he was sitting, smiling, talking, the next he was unconscious, his face was blue and his body was jerking uncontrollably. The clinic was not set up to deal with this kind of situation. They moved us to another room to give him oxygen and called for transport to the hospital. That seizure stopped and another started and stopped in the time it took for the ambulance to arrive.

In the ambulance on the ride to the hospital the EMT asked me if I had ever heard of a febrile seizure. His tone was gentle but his intent was clear. I was making a big deal over nothing. Babies get high fevers and sometimes they have seizures. No reason to make such a fuss lady. When we got to the hospital it was more of the same. A nurse explained febrile seizures to me. I explained that Bradyn hadn’t been running a fever. She explained that sometimes fevers spike so fast that you never know they were there. HUH? That level of discussion continued for a bit until Bradyn started seizing again. (he had just had his temp taken – no fever)

The difference between me telling them about it and them seeing it for themselves was remarkable. Everyone was engaged, we had an official emergency and B got wonderful care. A neurologist was called in. Tests were ordered. Finally we were going to have some answers. Or so I thought.

To be continued…

Category: Epilepsy