In the epilepsy world, it you have a seizure, the slang term is that your clock reset. That means you are back to ground zero for being seizure free. After over 8 months seizure free, Boo’s clock reset yesterday in dramatic fashion. He and I had the best afternoon. We went over to the sculpture garden and wandered around. We took lots of pictures and giggled at the puppy who really wanted to play with the geese. The geese were not amused. He loved walking on the pedestrian bridge that spans the highway. It was hot out, but there were water fountains available. On the way home, I thought about stopping at the gas station to get him a drink, but then decided it was only 2 blocks until home so we could get drinks there. I got some Gatorade into him, and he seemed happy to just to hang out in his room and watch videos. I took one of the dogs and headed out for a quick run.
After my run and a shower I was starting to think about dinner when I heard the tell-tale (and heart stopping) groan that Boo gives when he is about to seize. I ran into his room in time to see him flip off his bed, hit his head on the floor and begin convulsing. The seizure lasted about 90 seconds. After this he dozed. Usually, after a seizure he needs a good 10 to 12 hours to sleep and reset his brain. Last night was different. After a while her perked up. He seemed happy to watch Sid the Science Kid on his iPad. He was very dopey, but it was sort of like hanging out with an amiable drunk. The doctor on call at Gillette said if he had another seizure to give rescue meds and call her back. Everything stayed calm for about 90 minutes and then all hell broke loose. He had another violent seizure and began projectile vomiting. At this point the on-call doctor told us to adminster the rescue meds and go to the nearest ER.
Robert got us to the ER in record time. Being a Friday night during the state fair, it was packed. I took one look at that crowded room and my heart sank. But the odds were in our favor. If you show up at the ER, you can’t stand, you can’t even hold yourself up in a wheelchair, and you vomit all over the triage nurse, you get seen immediately. No sooner had we entered the hospital, we were rapidly taken into a trauma room. They attached all sorts of leads and wires to him. Boo seemed very out of it, only coming to in order to vomit some more. The nurses and doctors were fantastic, even though the ward was packed. We ended up spending about 5 hours there, giving Boo IV fluids and Zofran. Eventually, they unhooked him from all the wires, gave us a prescription for more Zoran and sent us home. We got home around 3am. It is now almost noon and Boo is still sleeping. I gave him his morning meds, which he took and then went back to sleep. I am drinking coffee black and doing copious amounts of laundry. We used up all our sheets and towels last night. We are slightly bumping up Boo’s anti-seizure medicine. I have the feeling he was really dehydrated and his new med, though I love it, was just not quite strong enough.
Yesterday was such a whirl wind. We started out having such a good day. He was happy, attentive and having the time of his life. After the first seizure he seemed to be zig zagging back to normal. After the second seizure and subsequent vomiting, it was clear he was really and truly ill. Epilepsy never lets you let your guard down. She is always there. We have had good long runs without seizures, and then we have had some truly terrifying moments. I am hoping and praying for a quiet weekend and that Boo can hop on his beloved bus first thing on Tuesday morning. Send us some good vibes please. He is still feeling a bit wobbly. Be good humans, and we will talk soon,
Harriet's Hedgehogs and Autism Advocacy 