As Two Days Stretch to Three

I've been banished from the kingdom. Banished by the Queen. My crime? Kathryn says I snore. How she figures this I do not know because I swear I never slept a wink last night. I think she's full of crap.

I think the real reason I'm sleeping at home tonight is that, after putting the twins to bed, Sharon showed up at the hospital with two bottles of toenail polish and a pair of fuzzy slippers and bribed Kathryn into giving me the boot.

Kathryn is still in the hospital. She's staying another night. She's still wired up, twenty-four copper electrodes cemented to her head with something that I swear smelled exactly like model airplane glue. It took an hour to put them all on and I guess the hospital is quite proud of them because they simply refuse to take them off and let her go home. Kathryn is also quite taken with them, and over the past two days she has wondered aloud multiple times whether there's a particular lobe of her brain that lights up each time she beats me at cards. Then she adds, almost as an afterthought, that the doctor will probably mention it if there is, because it's been lighting up a lot. Gin.

She's doing better, one hundred percent so, but her EEG reading is all over the place. The neurologist sat down with us and told us that Kathryn's brain was "unusually active," like anyone who had been in Kathryn's presence for more than thirty seconds couldn't have told her that. I am so not paying her bill. The preliminary readings are that Kathryn has Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, which if you know anything about epilepsy, you are probably relaxing now and if you don't know anything about epilepsy, then you can at least recognize the word "benign" and breathe a sigh of relief as well. Basically what I know from the crash course I've had over the last two days is that if you had to go to the epilepsy store and buy a kind of epilepsy for your kid, this one is the one you should get. Especially if you can get one that matches the drapes.

This was not Kathryn's first seizure, although I didn't remember the previous one until I was grilled by the doctor in the ER yesterday. It happened in the middle of the night just over a year ago, my wife woke up to the sound of Kathryn grunting and thrashing. It lasted about half a minute and, to be honest, it was one of those cases that, by the light of the next morning, seemed almost imagined. Maybe, we reasoned, it had just been a particularly bad nightmare. We followed up with our pediatrician, and both the doctor and my wife and I had a that-sure-was-strange-let's-see-if-it-happens-again attitude that rendered the whole episode forgotten by the end of the week. And let me tell you, it would be harder to feel more stupid than I did yesterday, facing an emergency room doctor and telling her that, you know, just now when I said that Kathryn had no history of seizures? Oh silly me!

So on we go. More readings and more tests are scheduled for tomorrow. I'll write when I know more.

Comments

[Sweet Mary Sunshine]

Here's a pile of prayers from Fargo, ND. My hubby and I are praying for lots of stuff for your family. Quick recovery and comfort for Kathryn. Patience and strength for you and The Mom. Wisdom for the docs. Poop in the potties for everyone. And lots of laughs for all of you along the way. Hang in there!

[faith]

Dad, My prayers are with Kathryn for better health quickly. And my heart is with you...so that you have double heart power to get through this rough time. You can share it with the mom too if you need.I am so glad that she has the "match the drapes" kind. Faith
PS- Does this call for brain cupcakes?

[Katherine]

She is so really something special - busy brain and roly eyes and all. I am holding you all close in my thoughts.

[Holly]

Wow... many prayers for you and your family. Thanks for your candor, and glad to hear that Kathryn seems to be on the mend.

[R]

very glad that the diagnosis turned out to be less dire than it might have been--it's a good thought that this is something she will likely outgrow. Hugs to you all.

[Tricia]

Thanks for the update. I was thinking about y'all just this morning, wondering if the episode was from falling out of bed or from a seizure. I'm glad that you're apparently at the other end of this...

[Tuesday]

How very scary. Prayers for all of you, especially your baby girl.

[Tammy from Twinstuff]

I am so glad to hear that she's back to normal and you know what's causing it. I hope that she doesn't have anymore seizures. I don't know much about them or epilepsy. When my Lauren was between 6 months and one year, she had a few episodes during the night that we couldn't explain that seemed strange. It was similar to what you said that you didn't remember much about them in the morning. I've never told our doctor but will mention it the next time we go in just in case. She hasn't had anything like it since.
I will continue to keep your family in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for taking the time to keep us posted. I hope she gets to come home soon. I'm sure she can't wait to tell her classmates at school all about her hospital experience.

[Ann]

So glad things are somewhat better! Here's hoping you ALL have a better night tonight, and maybe get discharged home tomorrow.

[Twice Five Miles]

So terrifying, even to read about. I am so glad she is feeling better and I am thinking about all of you...

[Val]

Just wanted you to know we're praying and thinking of you all.

Hugs.

[Jaci]

Holy %$#@, this parenting stuff is scary business!

I'm thinking of you & The Wife, and Kathryn too. Hang in there and keep us posted!

[dregina]

Hang in there, Luther. I'm holding you in my thoughts and prayers.

[qwyneth]

Oh I'm so glad it's this and not something much worse. I hope she continues to improve and the seizures disappear completely. Good luck; I'm sending good, healing thoughts your way.

Oh wow. I missed yesterday's post, and all I can say is wow. How scary.

So glad she's feeling better ... I wonder if there is an electrode that lights up for "scaring the crap out of your parents"?

[Jolene]

From what I read the diagnosis is less sucky than it could have been. I refrain from saying "good diagnosis" because I have epilepsy and there is not a damn thing good about it. It sucks. It sucks rotten donkey farts, as a matter of fact. The article I read said that they may or may not decide to use medication. I hated being on the meds as they made me lose time, stutter, and basically feel like a total space case, and also caused my breakthrough seizures to be worse than the "normal" seizures. I really hope you guys get the help you need for her. I hope everything turns out ok. And tell Kathryn that the wires make her look like a little Medusa, from what I've read she'll appreciate the mythology reference!

[GoHskrs]

I've been in a lot of ERs with my wife, and there's just something about the whole environment (hurried docs, long periods of waiting followed by brief flurries of manic activity, plus the background moaning, screaming, and dozens of kinds of electronic beeps going off constantly) that makes you forget about the important parts of your family's medical history. I empathize completely with you on that score.

Prayers for Kathryn and for your whole family. If you don't figure out exactly what it is, I hope at least that it doesn't happen again.

[FishyGirl]

Glad it isn't as bad as it first sounded, but I will continue to pray that all the brain activity is just Kathryn's brilliance and nothing more and this will never happen again. I wish you all continued strength.

[Colleen]

I'm glad that you guys have an answer to what's wrong. Hoping Kathryn gets out of the hospital soon. still thinking of you guys...

[Sasha]

Yikes, I need to visit your site daily.

Scrolled back to your last post, read this one, started breathing again.

Hospitals + your children = sucks. We've been to the ER a few times, no overnights or anything like this yet, thank goodness, but I know that fear well.

I'll be thinking about your family, your Kathryn especially, and hoping to read more posts with words like "benign."

[Phoenix]

Oh my god. I'm so glad she's going to be okay.

I'll be thinking good thoughts your way.

[Beverly]

That is extremely scary. Yes benign has a way of making things seem not so bad or at least give relief.

Beverly

[Mauigirl52]

I'm glad the initial indications are good news. Hope your next post will be that Kathryn is home and with an excellent prognosis.

[Leggy]

OMG- just catching up on the last few posts and HOW friggin scary. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I am glad though that its explained by something that's a lot less scary than some of the scary sh*t that's out there (eg, meningitis). Hope she's feeling better soon!

[Burgh Baby's Mom]

I'm so very glad to hear that since Kathryn just had to go shopping at the epilepsy store, she had the smarts to pick out a lovely shade of benign.

Hopefully, in another few days, the scariest story you will have to blog about will contain the words puke, vomit, and stay-at-home father of three girls. I like it better that way :-)