After my last post, and a few of the negative comments, I would love nothing more than to sit here with a smile on my face and Meghan Trainor in the background and tell you that I was just having a rough spot and that life is easy-peasy and I’ve been in a wonderful mood… but that would be a giant lie.
Between dealing with my husband being out to sea, my mom having a heart attack, and trying to prepare myself mentally for James’ Gtube surgery, I was looking forward to this weekend.
I was stressed to my limit and our best friends were coming to visit. We haven’t seen them in a year so I was beyond excited. We got the house cleaned up and set up the air mattress and made plans to maybe go to Harborfest and hang out. I thought, ” Finally, a small break.” My husband was in town and I was ready to just pause and enjoy some time with friends before the week took its hold on me and I was thrown back into all the appointments.
We were expecting them around midnight but between traffic delays, and a broken tail light on a trailer they were pulling, things got pushed back. Truth be told, it was kind of nice. It was just Kevin and I while waiting for them. We watched a movie and just talked with no one else around. We saw them finally around 2AM. We helped them unload luggage, two small children, and everything into the house. We chatted for a few minutes and reminisced before all heading to bed and passing out from pure exhaustion.
When I woke up the next morning, I decided to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I noticed James still wasn’t fussing or making noise so I went in to check him around 8:30. I notice he was laying in bed with his eyes open but didn’t move or make noise like he normally does when I walk in the room. I got close and noticed he was jerking his arm in a repetitive motion.
“Please.. please not this.. please not this,” were the first things out of my mouth as I picked him up, snapping my fingers and calling his name.
I walked into the living room and told my friends to get Kevin: James was having a seizure.
I laid James on his side and tried to rub his head, telling him it would be okay, that I am right here next to him. Kevin came in and I told him to go into James’ room to get his emergency medicine out of his basket where its always kept, right by the door.
He walked away and emerged with the medicine not 10 seconds later, or at least that’s how it felt.
I told my husband to call the hospital. We needed to reach the on-call pediatrician to let them know we were going to bring James in when he had stopped seizing.
I looked at my watch and noted the time. After five minutes, I grabbed the medicine. I opened the lube and prepared the plunger and inserted the medicine just like I’ve been instructed to do every single time I’ve talked to the doctor about how to use the medicine in case of seizures lasting this long.
After he received all the medicine, he didn’t seem to be slowing down. I checked my watch AGAIN and noted the time. After another five minutes, I gave James dose two of the medicine and said a quick and silent prayer that it would work… I know too much about the side effects of seizures that last too long.
After I finished giving him the medicine, I told Kevin to dial 911. The medicine wasn’t working and we needed outside help. As he called and instructed the phone operator about the situation, I sat with James, rubbing his head and telling him it’s okay, that mommy is here.
By now, I’d noticed in my peripheral vision that all the other kids are awake and our friends are keeping them away from James. The EMT team walked through the door. They did their thing and got him stable. We got into the ambulance while they started to give him an IV.
For those of you not familiar with seizure disorders, after you have a seizure you are something called postictal. After a seizure, your body is so exhausted you sleep, normally from 5 to 30 minutes, but sometimes you get nauseous, dizzy or a get headache. James had been postictal maybe 3 minutes when they put the tourniquet on his arm to start the IV. Even though he’s PASSED OUT COLD, he decided to fight the EMT. Imagine two grown men having to hold the arm of a 2 year old and another man trying to start an IV. It was almost funny.
As we pulled away in the ambulance, I let out a slight laugh… because if I don’t laugh then I’ll end up bawling my eyes out. My husband meets me in the emergency room and the first words out of my mouth are, “WHERE’S CONNOR?!?” He reminds me that our friends are at the house with him… I forgot we had out of town company. Again… a laugh or cry moment.
After taking about six tubes of blood from James, we ( the medical team) decide the best course of action is to up his dose and go home.
When I got home and I realized all the cinnamon rolls were gone. ( Remember those?) Yea.. I didn’t get any. (I’m still trying to laugh at this.)
Momentum 