Ive had better weeks

It started on Sunday. We had a guy in our ward tell us his wife was at home with his sick boy who has the flu. I felt really bad and told him how miserable I thought that must be. Honestly I wouldn't know. I've never had throwing up experience as a mother yet. Gabe's never had the flu or has never thrown up. At three and a half I think its pretty lucky. There was one experience with Ollie around five months who was up all night, finally threw up, and was over it. I wouldn't consider that the flu. It wasn't fun but it was over quick.

Anyway Sunday evening we ran out to Adam's office to set up some stuff and organize a little bit. He's SO busy in the week it's hard to get stuff like that done. So we spent the weekend playing catch up. Ollie was so cranky. I figured it was because of day light savings. Well Monday morning Ollie woke up covered in puke. All over. I felt horrible and it scared me. I didn't hear him once that night cause he didn't wake up to puke. Which is even scarier cause he could have choked. Luckily he didn't. The rest of his day was pretty bad. I couldn't keep anything in him. I could get him to drink water and eat some crackers so that's good. (he hates juice and sugary drinks). Monday night we were up all night with puking. No fun my poor baby. We were surprised cause Monday evening he was acting like his active energetic self. Most of the day he just layed on me not wanting to move. So since he was so happy monday evening we didn't quite expect that kind of a night.

I know most of you don't care for these details, but oh we'll you're gonna get them, cause it got a whole lot worse for us. Tuesday morning rolled around and he was still puking but would eat and drink so I wasn't too worried. Until I went to put him down for a nap. I set him on the floor to turn on his fan. I went to pick him up and he was really stiff. Confused I looked down and realized that his looked really zoned. I sat down and put him on my lap and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he remained stiff for a minute. I was really confused and freaking out a bit. I layed him on a floor and then called Adam I had no idea what was going on. When I was talking to Adam he started shaking. I hung up and called 911. My son was having a seizure. I wish that I could tell you that I stayed calm and didn't freak out at all. That'd be a lie. I wasn't hysterical but I was talking really fast and loud. The operator had to tell me to take some deep breaths a few times. I couldn't remember my phone number or address when asked. Probably why they ask you repeat and confirm your information like three times. His face started turning purple and I turned him on his side. I got to give updates on the phone to the operator while it was all happening just waiting it out until the paramedics got to my house. He stopped shaking, and I'm grateful I didn't have to give CPR. He just looked zoned for a few minutes and then his head rolled back and he fell asleep. The scariest experience of my entire life right there. Something that I would never like to experience ever again. Not just the seizure part, but calling 911 for one of my children. Gabe by the way was in the other room watching a show the whole time, cause I told her I was putting Ollie down. Luckily she didn't witness any of it. I also told her friends were coming over to help Ollie get better. So she chatted it up with the paramedics and they loved her, and she thought they were great.

When the paramedics got there they took his blood sugar, temperature and heart stats. They said at the minute he was fine and he didn't need emergency assistant to get to the hospital. Honestly I think the sleeping part was just as scary cause he was out of it. He did wake up when getting poked and screamed bloody murder that I couldn't calm him down from. The paramedics were wonderful and it was very reassuring. I think they were more worried about me than Ollie. They kept telling me when babies are sick and have very high fevers, seizures are common. I told them he hasn't had a fever at all and I've checked twice. They said his temp was normal as well. Then they got a little nervous. They told me because he was seizing with no temp he needed to see a doc ASAP or take him to the emergency room. No rush but TODAY. So we called our pediatrician and asked their opinion about their office or the emergency room. They said bring him in there, which was good cause emergency room prices aren't ideal right now. (Not saying we wouldn't have done it)

Unfortunately Adam couldn't come with me to the doctor appointment. The doctor asked me a million and one questions about everything and anything that happened. What he looked like, what he acted like, how long things lasted, etc. She was really nervous that he had one without a fever either. After the thorough discussion she told me it was one of two kinds of seizures. One, which I can't remember the name of, is really really rare and your kid gets overly hydrated. She asked me about his fluid intake and I told her he had drank a bunch of water that morning. She asked how much and I showed her his sippy cup and said two-two and half of these. She told me not enough. I guess when the salt intake is really low, and water intake huge, then they can seizure. She said we could do an electrolyte test, to test if that was the cause, but since it was later it wouldn't read the same. However, given what I told her he had been eating, and how much he drank, she ruled that one out anyway.

So that left option number two, which was that our little man had an actual legit seizure. I didn't like where this was going, and she didn't like telling me. She explained they don't know what causes seizures, and the depending on which part of the brain they happen in determine the person's shaking reaction. (Whether they tremor or lash out violently) Luckily Ollie just tremored and wasn't all over, that would have been scarier I think. She then told me they can't really even say if he'll have another one. We pretty much get to wait and see if he does. If he does, it's a sign he'll probably have epilepsy (a disease where a person has repeated seizures) Most of the time when kids have it, they grow out of it. She said there were tests we could run to test his brain like an EEG(a test that measures brain activity) and stuff, but him being so little and it being only five minutes (yeah some go for like 20 min I guess), and him only having one, then she didn't want to subject him to that. I was grateful. She checked him out and watched him play and said he was fine and that really all we can do is wait it out. He has a 25% chance of having another within a year. And then 50% before he's 14. IF he has another, then we'll talk treatment or tests. According to her the treatments meds have nasty side effects and I don't look forward to subjecting my son to them. She told me there was this rectal injection that we could have on hand that if he has another and it goes longer than 10 minutes, we could inject it and it'll stop the seizure. I didn't take her up on that either.

Honestly I would like to plan on him never experiencing one ever again. I'm hoping for a happy healthy childhood for our son. I don't want him limited by something like that. It's scary and honestly I don't love thinking about it, and talking about it really. So here's to healthy future thoughts going out for our boy!

I do have to mention that our home teacher who is a nurse working on becoming a physicians assistant, and his wife saw the ambulance and stretcher outside our house and called us right away. When I didn't answer, cause I was helping Ollie, they went to the ER to see if they could help us with anything. (even though we weren't there, they went to check) They came over and he and Adam gave Ollie a blessing before we went to the doctor. Aren't people nice? I'm the kind of person that would wait until I found out what happened then ask what I could do. I'm grateful for her "nosiness" as she put it.

Anyway the rest of the week has been full of puking from me which hasn't been grand trying to take care of kids and having Adam work late. Oh well. I'll live. I pray Gabe and Adam don't get it. Cross your fingers, cause I think we've been through enough this week thanks!