Sent on Feb. 11, 2011
Hello Loved Ones,
We wanted to give you all an update on our little Gia.
I believe all of you know that she has been having, what we now know are seizures for the past few months.
At first, we noticed her stop what she was doing and just stare at us. We didn't think anything of it, until she began to jerk slightly during the staring episodes. We did some research and found an exact description of her behavior - proving it was indeed seizure activity. From our research (and our doctor's consultations - viewing the videos of the seizures) she is most likely having Complex Absence Seizures. Hers almost always are more than 2 minutes long.
Some info here:
She has 2-4 per day, (although she may be having dozens more of the Simple Absence Seizures (staring only type), we just can't tell).
These are nothing like Grand Mal Seizures - not scary to watch, or dangerous to her brain (so they tell us). It obviously is unsettling knowing that there is something wrong with your child's brain, but we are so thankful, realizing how much worse it could be.
So far, we have seen - both our preferred family doctor (natural, holistic approach to medicine) as well as a Pediatrician. Both of them believe this is some form of epilepsy, but they want to see the brain tests to rule out anything worse (tumor, etc.).
We currently have 2 other appointments scheduled:
We take her in for an EEG (Electroencephalogram) next Thursday, Feb. 24th at 7:45am down in Broomfield, CO at the Children's Hospital North Campus. We could use your prayers on this one, as we have to bring her in sleep deprived (keep her up till midnight, then wake her at 4am and try to keep her awake till the appointment). It will take 2-5 days to read the results from the EEG - which will be sent to our Pediatrician for a follow - up. If the EEG is typical (for Absence Seizures) we will not have to do a CT scan or MRI.
The second appointment is with Dr. Carolyn Green, Pediatric Neurologist at Denver Children's Hospital, in South Aurora. This one is not until April 5th. I'm sure we will be able to ask lots of questions at this appointment.
Our Pediatrician assumes we will medicate Gia with the normal anti-convulsant drugs that are typically prescribed. Both Jeremiah and I are not comfortable with the side-effects and risks involved with these, and since the seizures aren't Grand Mal - we want to try natural treatments first.
Our family doctor has several things he believes will stop the seizures, so we are glad to know there are other options available. There are herbal, dietary and other approaches to balancing out neurotransmitters, so we are hopeful about this. Since there is a good chance she may outgrow these, we don't see the need yet to rush into medication.
Please pray for us as we gather information, wait (patiently), and meet with doctors. We want to be open to new information and ultimately be led to the right way of treating Gia.
Please also pray for our medical coverage. We are currently still in the application process for the Colorado CHP+ program. We are praying we will have coverage by the time we go to Children's Hospital.
We trust that God will guide us on this journey, and that (as my wonderful Grandmother said) God has all of her days mapped out for her, she belongs to Him!
With Love,
Sarah & Jeremiah
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