Another Seizure

Many of you have been asking how G is doing. The MRI was clear last week, so we know for sure that she has epilepsy, and that this isn't caused by anything else like a tumor or fluid. We praise the Lord that she is a healthy, normal girl, and that we know what she has and how to treat it. She started on seizure medication early last week. It doesn't taste good (even after adding flavor to it), but she has been very responsible about remembering that she needs to take her medicine twice a day. :-) We hope this medication works for her, but she isn't on the full dose quite yet.

G had another seizure on Saturday night. I was giving her and H a shower, when suddenly she just went blank. She wouldn't answer any questions or respond when I asked her to do something. This time I knew what was happening, so I calmly told H that she was having a seizure. H asked what we should do, and I told her that we just make sure she is safe. I finished washing them both up and Ted came to help them get dressed while I washed up the other two girls. G could walk when led, and kind of giggled a little bit when I tickled her, but otherwise was unresponsive for at least 5 minutes. By the time they were all in jammies and I was brushing their teeth, G grabbed both sides of her head and started crying. She nodded when I asked if she had a headache, and was able to shake her head yes or no about where it hurt. She still wasn't talking, but she was more responsive. We finally got her talking about half an hour later. This is very similar to what happened last time.

I was glad that we knew what was happening this time so we could stay calm, and I was also glad that H witnessed this seizure. Now she knows what to expect and what to do and she doesn't have to be scared. We would like further prayer that the medicine will work for her to control her seizures. The other thing is that these are not typical absence seizures. They look like absence seizures (because of the blank stare and the lack of convulsions or shaking), but absence seizures usually only last 10 seconds and don't have a period of confusion, whereas G's episodes have both lasted more than 5 minutes with a slow recovery time afterward. Because of this, we will be asking for a referral to a pediatric neurologist, and I don't know how long it will take to get in. We appreciate your prayers and support, and if you'd like an illustration of how to explain epilepsy, go here.