P.S. We took her binky away. =)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
May Update:
P.S. We took her binky away. =)
Friday, April 3, 2009
ABIGAYLE
Anyway, it's been 2 weeks since Abi has been off of the ACTH. What a change we have seen in her. We literally have a brand new girl. A girl we've never seen before. She is doing so much more than she ever was before she was on the ACTH. She regressed while on it, but most everything & MORE came back as soon as she was finished with the treatments. She is rolling, starting to clap (only on her time), waves "Bye-Bye" & "Hi". She's grabbing for things, using BOTH hands, hitting toys together, studying things... such as our faces, designs, pictures, things she never noticed before. She also bounces to music, almost can pull herself up from a laying position to a sitting position, & grab & hold onto finger foods. The biggest accomplishment we have seen in Abi, is she laughs. She didn't laugh much before, & never laughed while on the ACTH. To see a new light in her eyes & to finally hear a real laugh come out of her is amazing!!! Her weight is slowly decreasing. But we have gotten used to her chubby self. She has been wearing size 3T tops. So, pretty much sharing shirts with Lyvie. Lyvie thinks it's pretty cool, so I can't complain. She is still pretty hairy, but we've have been told by many & also Dr. L that the hair will fall out. I don't mind how thick the hair on her head has gotten or even how long her eyelashes are. But her brows need a definite waxing!!! She is still cute though. Nurse Julie came by yesterday to take one last look at Abi & checked her vitals. I am happy to say everything is normal. What a relief!!! As for her spasms...they are back. She is having one or two daily. BUT they are only when she is woken up from sleeping, or startled while sleeping. They still look like the Infantile Spasms, but we are still hoping that they'll go away. Dr. L informed me that it may take up to 6 weeks until we see a change with the spasms. He said the ACTH is just waiting it's turn. As for groups. She can go out in public in about 2 more weeks. I have to admit, we have taken her out a few times. She cannot be immunized for another 3 months & cannot be around anyone who has been recently vaccinated with LIVE vaccines... such as Chicken Pox, MMR, or Oral Polio vaccinations.
We are so happy to have our "OLD" Abi back, & also the "NEW" Abi. She is so fun! And it is fun to watch her & Lyvie or any kid interact. She's a very happy girl. Sleeps great! And is learning new things everyday!!!
Here is a video I took of Abi laughing last night. I have never seen her laugh this much in her whole life. So it's way fun to watch!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Last few weeks on ACTH:
I cannot tell you how happy we are to be finished with the treatments. This was such a big decision that we had to make for Abi. I've had many people ask me if we would ever do another round of the ACTH for Abi, and my answer is NO!!! Yes, we've received positive feed from it. We've seen her spasms go from 3 or 4 a day, to roughly 1, maybe 2, a week. But in the long run... so not worth the stress on her. She regressed in everything that she had learned, but she also started to do things that we weren't expecting her to do so quick. To see the stress it put on her body, was heartbreaking. Worrying if she was going make it through one more day, was exhausting in every way you can imagine. It was a very risky treatment, & we feel like if we cannot completely get rid of her Infantile Spasms, then that is who she is! Abi, may always be our Abi who has seizures. But that's okay. We have come to accept that. I have grown so much closer to my parents & siblings, & to Dave's parents & siblings. Not only have I grown closer to them, but I have grown closer to our Heavenly Father. I had to put my complete trust & faith in him. ( I still do!) I have learned so much more about myself & about what I CAN handle. People have said, "I don't know how you do it. I don't think I could do it." We did this for Abi. We made it a routine & was able to get through it. When its your child or someone you love, you would be surprised what you CAN do. We are not out of the woods yet. Now it's just a waiting game. The spasms can come back, but hopefully they won't. It's all up to the Lord.
I want Abi to know how truly amazing I think she is. She is my hero! To agree to such a challenge while in heaven, makes me admire her more than words can say. She is very loving, unselfish, happy, STRONG, contagious, determined, lovable, beautiful, sweet, easy going (when not on ACTH), & the list could go on & on. I love her with all my heart & soul. My girls are my world!!! I am proud to say I am their mom! I am proud of Abi, & the example she is in our home. She is a very special girl! She has a spirit about her that I cannot describe. You have to be around her to know. I am thankful for the Lord & for him giving Dave & I the opportunity to raise such a choice spirit. I love you forever, Abi!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Water Retention
This is a picture of Abi, a week before starting her on the ACTH
AND
This is Abi at the beginning of Week 6 on the ACTH
One of the side effects of the ACTH steroid is, water retention. This is by far the most swollen we have seen Abi. You can see how swollen she is throughout her body, but her face is the most noticeable.AND
This is Abi at the beginning of Week 6 on the ACTH
Carol, one of her weekend nurses came on Saturday & couldn't believe the change in her. It is definitely sad to see her go through all of this. She isn't moving around as much as she used to. But the Dr. said once she's completely off the treatment, our precious Abi should return back to herself. I'm excited for that day.
As for the RSV, I think we're almost out of the woods. She's doing much better, & just has the lingering cough. She is still pretty irritable & doesn't like Mom so much. The nurses & I have come to the conclusion of why she isn't too fond of me right now; It's because I am helping hold her still while she gets her shot & checked daily. Daddy is her rescuer & that is why she wants him constantly. Sad, but TRUE! Also, she's a big fan of Grandma Jaques too!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Long time....
:ACTH & RSV:
It's the beginning of WEEK 5 since we started Abigayle on the ACTH injection treatment for her Infantile Spasms. What a ride. We have seen ups & downs with this medication. I have mixed feelings on it, & am still weighing out the pros & cons of it. We've seen positive side effects, & the negative. It's all about our faith & trust in the medicine, the Doctors, & in our Heavenly Father.
Week 1 (January 16 - 23) *80 units/ml*: Everything went well. No major side effects & Abi was all around happy. She did go a few days without any spasms & maybe had 1 the first Sunday, which only was a head drop, and that was it. At the end of the first week, Abi started having the spasms, but only 1 a day, & really short. I don't know if it was due to her having a low grade fever & teething, but that is a possibility.
Week 2 (January 24 - January 30) *80 units/ml*: Abi started to get a little irritable. She was still doing pretty good than we expected, and we were grateful for that. She would go a day or two spasm free, but then would hit three days in a row with spasms... but still only 1 a day. By the end of week 2, Abi had cut her top canine teeth, & was very irritable. Her weight stayed pretty consistent & we didn't see too much water retention or a rise in her blood pressure. The only side effect we did see was she was grumpy & uncomfortable.
Week 3 (January 31 - February 6) *80 units/ml*:Probably our worst week. By this time we should have started the taper of the ACTH, but where she still was having spasms, Dr. L wanted to keep her on the high dose for 1 more week. This was definitely the hardest week. We started to notice the water retention, increased appetite, irritability, weight change, a rise in her blood pressure, & constipation. There were a few nights where we got little sleep. The only thing that saved us was her vibrating chair that was too sizes too small for her. But it worked , & she stayed content. I, also by this time started to do more infant massage's for her, & although she screams through them (she's getting better), by the time I am finished, she is SUPER relaxed & calm. If I give her a massage, she ends up sleeping through the night. She was retaining water, & soaking through diapers every 2 hours. We ended up waking up every night to a soaking wet girl due to sweating & pee!!! Changing her bedding every night gets old, but you do what you got to do. We started to notice the weight gain more & could see the swelling everywhere, but mostly in her face. Every morning a nurse comes in to give Abi her shot, & then she checks her blood pressure, oxygen levels, heart, heart rate, lungs, weight, temperature, & so on.
One particular day, we were getting Abi's weight. She had gained over 2 pounds in a day!!! That is pretty quick. And you could see those 2 pounds in her face. Poor little Abi, but what a trooper. Her blood pressure had risen & her respiration's were fast. That Saturday she had had a spasm that lasted over 30 minutes. It so very frustrating & took everything in me to not give up, & to keep going on with the treatment. Thank goodness for the priesthood & for our families. The same night Abi had the 30 minute spasm, my dad & little brother were able to come over & give Abi (Dave was at work) a blessing. She was extremely fussy & couldn't get comfortable. I was hanging on by a thread. What a beautiful blessing my dad gave her. The spirit was very strong. Abi sat very still through the entire prayer, & as soon as it was over, she was calm & fell asleep in my moms arms. A testimony builder of prayer!!!
Week 4 (February 7 - February 13) *60 units/ml*:
Started the taper of the ACTH. There wasn't much of a change. Everything was still the same. Still not happy. She still had high blood pressure & her respiration's were still fast.
Week 5 (February 14 - February 20) *50 units/ml*: The morning of this week I awoke to Abi coughing. This concerned me because the cough was pretty tight & I could tell it was affecting her breathing. So when the nurse came she checked her vitals & noticed her blood pressure was at the highest it has been since we've been on the treatment, 112/60, & her heart beats per minute were up to 184. This really concerned Dave & I. She began to listen to her lungs and could hear "Rails". She told us to really keep an eye on her & if she proceeded to get worse, to call. Well, she didn't act too much worse the rest of the day. But by night, another story. I was up with her & Lyvie all the way up until Dave got home from work, which is 4 a.m. When the nurse came Sunday morning, I knew something wasn't right with Abi. Her blood pressure was still high, but not as high as the day before. I ended up calling the nurse twice that night to see what I should do because Abi was really wheezy & breathing heavily. She cried most the day & did not handle laying down at all. My mom talked some sense into me, & I broke down & asked Dave's family to come give her another blessing. Thanks Dirk & Uncle Jim. Family is awesome!!! I took her outside a few times to help her out, & it helped, but not for long. So at about midnight I decided to take her over to the hospital. After 2 breathing treatments, a nose swab, & chest x-ray... the Dr. confirmed she has RSV!!! WHAT? I am handling it better than I thought. I just hope and pray that she gets better, before it gets worse. I do NOT want to hear she has pneumonia. Dave took the day off, & thank goodness he did. We are both worn out, but glad to have each other & help each other. As of now, Abi is asleep & doing okay. Lyvie is still up crying & running a fever. I do hope they both get better soon. It is no fun to have sick kids. Hopefully the rest of the week things will start looking up for the girls, and their health. I hope to talk to Dr. L tomorrow, since they were out of the office today. We have about 4 more weeks to go with the ACTH, & then hopefully we'll see a big improvement. We have seen improvements. The spasms are nowhere as long as they used to be. And maybe we won't see a change until she's off of the treatments completely. Dr. L. said where her body is under a lot of stress & change, that can definitely bring on the spasms. So, we'll really have to wait and see what it will be like once she's completely off of the ACTH.
I just want to thank everyone who have prayed for us, & especially for Abi. Please keep praying for her ( and for Lyvie). We do feel your prayers. We know the Lord's hand is in all things. We feel his love & are comforted to have the knowledge that we do. I am grateful for my family & for our trials. We just hit the year mark (Valentines Day) when Abi was diagnosed with Aicardi Syndrome. I can't believe it's been a year. We sure have learned a lot!!! I've said this before, & I will say it over & over again, but I have learned more compassion & unconditional love then I ever thought was possible. I've learned I need to swallow my pride & kneel down & thank my Heavenly Father for everything that we have & for the trials we are faced with. Without Him, nothing is possible. I LOVE the gospel. Thank you to our family and friends for the dinners & goodies you have brought over. It's been a hard thing for me to accept help, but I am humbled. We love you all!
P.S. I apologize for this long post. If you made it through, AWESOME!!!
Week 1 (January 16 - 23) *80 units/ml*: Everything went well. No major side effects & Abi was all around happy. She did go a few days without any spasms & maybe had 1 the first Sunday, which only was a head drop, and that was it. At the end of the first week, Abi started having the spasms, but only 1 a day, & really short. I don't know if it was due to her having a low grade fever & teething, but that is a possibility.
Started the taper of the ACTH. There wasn't much of a change. Everything was still the same. Still not happy. She still had high blood pressure & her respiration's were still fast.
Week 5 (February 14 - February 20) *50 units/ml*: The morning of this week I awoke to Abi coughing. This concerned me because the cough was pretty tight & I could tell it was affecting her breathing. So when the nurse came she checked her vitals & noticed her blood pressure was at the highest it has been since we've been on the treatment, 112/60, & her heart beats per minute were up to 184. This really concerned Dave & I. She began to listen to her lungs and could hear "Rails". She told us to really keep an eye on her & if she proceeded to get worse, to call. Well, she didn't act too much worse the rest of the day. But by night, another story. I was up with her & Lyvie all the way up until Dave got home from work, which is 4 a.m. When the nurse came Sunday morning, I knew something wasn't right with Abi. Her blood pressure was still high, but not as high as the day before. I ended up calling the nurse twice that night to see what I should do because Abi was really wheezy & breathing heavily. She cried most the day & did not handle laying down at all. My mom talked some sense into me, & I broke down & asked Dave's family to come give her another blessing. Thanks Dirk & Uncle Jim. Family is awesome!!! I took her outside a few times to help her out, & it helped, but not for long. So at about midnight I decided to take her over to the hospital. After 2 breathing treatments, a nose swab, & chest x-ray... the Dr. confirmed she has RSV!!! WHAT? I am handling it better than I thought. I just hope and pray that she gets better, before it gets worse. I do NOT want to hear she has pneumonia. Dave took the day off, & thank goodness he did. We are both worn out, but glad to have each other & help each other. As of now, Abi is asleep & doing okay. Lyvie is still up crying & running a fever. I do hope they both get better soon. It is no fun to have sick kids. Hopefully the rest of the week things will start looking up for the girls, and their health. I hope to talk to Dr. L tomorrow, since they were out of the office today. We have about 4 more weeks to go with the ACTH, & then hopefully we'll see a big improvement. We have seen improvements. The spasms are nowhere as long as they used to be. And maybe we won't see a change until she's off of the treatments completely. Dr. L. said where her body is under a lot of stress & change, that can definitely bring on the spasms. So, we'll really have to wait and see what it will be like once she's completely off of the ACTH.
I just want to thank everyone who have prayed for us, & especially for Abi. Please keep praying for her ( and for Lyvie). We do feel your prayers. We know the Lord's hand is in all things. We feel his love & are comforted to have the knowledge that we do. I am grateful for my family & for our trials. We just hit the year mark (Valentines Day) when Abi was diagnosed with Aicardi Syndrome. I can't believe it's been a year. We sure have learned a lot!!! I've said this before, & I will say it over & over again, but I have learned more compassion & unconditional love then I ever thought was possible. I've learned I need to swallow my pride & kneel down & thank my Heavenly Father for everything that we have & for the trials we are faced with. Without Him, nothing is possible. I LOVE the gospel. Thank you to our family and friends for the dinners & goodies you have brought over. It's been a hard thing for me to accept help, but I am humbled. We love you all!
P.S. I apologize for this long post. If you made it through, AWESOME!!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Our Visit with the Doctor
As some of you know, we made and appointment to see a Pediatric Neurologist in Dallas, Texas for a second opinion on Abigayle. How we found him is a blessing. There are angels everywhere, & I like to think that Mike & Tracy, and their daughter, Maddy, are our angels. Thanks to them, we were able to get an appointment with a Pediatric Neurologist who specializes in Infantile Spasms & has more experience with Aicardi Syndrome and the females who have it. So this past Sunday, we packed our bags, filled our car & traveled 3 days to get to our destination. We have had an eventful trip & are glad we have made it here safe and sound.
Yesterday was Abi's appointment. Dave & I were both so anxious to meet Dr. E & to get his opinion on things. The appointment went well. We spent 2 full hours with the Dr. & he was able to answer questions that we have needed answers to. He was able to help us understand the medications better & give his insight on what he thinks will work best for Abi. As for her seizures, she is having seizures, but she is not having them daily like her Infantile Spasms. She is still having Infantile Spasms. Abi had a spasm while we were there & he had no doubt that that is what it was. He said that all the medications she is on (besides the Vigabatrin) is doing her no good. They are for seizures, not spasms. If it hasn't taken away the spasm by now, then it is not going to take it away later. He really is pushing to get her off of all of them. We will keep her on just one seizure medicine, since she does have a seizure every now and again. He said that there are only 2 kinds of treatments that help get rid of the spasms, & that is either a Steroid or Hormone treatment. The ACTH injection was brought up. You may remember, this was our worst nightmare at the beginning. We were set on NEVER giving this treatment to Abi. The side effects were horrible & the chance of the spasms coming back after the treatment was more common than not. This treatment was out of the question. But, Dr. E. helped us be more mindful of the ACTH & told us he likes to do a high dose & short term. Instead of a high dose & long term. He said you won't see all the side effects that you would if she were to be on the steroid for long term. The only thing we'll see is the irritability. But that should only last a week, cause the 2nd week she will start coming off of the treatment. If this treatment works, Abi could be spasm free. If not, then she will eventually grow out of them by age 3 or 4, but most likely will grow into having adult seizures.
Dr. E also wants Abi to have another MRI. Her first & only MRI she had was not the best of quality. And the dictation on it was not as clear as it should be. We learned that there is more going on in Abi's brain than just her missing her Corpus Callosum.
This probably doesn't mean anything to any of you. Or in any case, is boring. That's okay. I've said before, this blog is for my records. My journal. I need to write these things down, so I can someday go back & hopefully see the changes & progress we have made.
I just hope that Dr. E. doesn't think Dr. L is an idiot. He does not have the experience that Dr. E has. Dr. L told us to bring home as much information as we can so that he can be aware of this condition & better help his patients. Dr. E is going to write Dr. L a letter of the important things we talked about & hopefully help him understand the Infantile Spasms better & also Aicardi Syndrome. I don't want anyone to think that we think Dr. L is not helping us. He is! He is an amazing Neurologist & we couldn't have asked for better. He is so willing to help us out in any way that he can, & when we told him we were going to Texas for a second opinion, he was just as excited as we were.
We are so grateful for this opportunity. We are extremely grateful for doctors & medicine, & technology. I can't imagine us living in any other time than now. We truly are blessed with so much! I am grateful to all those out there that have a daughter with Aicardi Syndrome. And to those I have come to know through emails, blogs, & websites. It has been a blessing to communicate with families who are in the same situation we are. But I am also grateful for all the families who have a child with special needs. Abi has taught us so much! She is such a joy in our home (along with Lyvie)! She has taught us to have more compassion than ever can be imagined. Along with patience, love, & a desire to do better each day. She is an angel. We love our girls more than anything in this world. I cannot even begin to imagine not having them in my life. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of eternal families. 2 songs that touch my heart every time they are sang are: I Am a Child of God & Families Can Be Together Forever. Those songs are true. They are a testimony to me. I love my family so much! I love the Gospel! It's been a very emotional time for us, but we are grateful to have this chance & to reflect on life itself & why we are here. Remember how important life is. Life is a privilege. We should make the most of it & not take advantage of any second that goes by. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us & especially for our Abi. We feel the prayers. We love you all!
Yesterday was Abi's appointment. Dave & I were both so anxious to meet Dr. E & to get his opinion on things. The appointment went well. We spent 2 full hours with the Dr. & he was able to answer questions that we have needed answers to. He was able to help us understand the medications better & give his insight on what he thinks will work best for Abi. As for her seizures, she is having seizures, but she is not having them daily like her Infantile Spasms. She is still having Infantile Spasms. Abi had a spasm while we were there & he had no doubt that that is what it was. He said that all the medications she is on (besides the Vigabatrin) is doing her no good. They are for seizures, not spasms. If it hasn't taken away the spasm by now, then it is not going to take it away later. He really is pushing to get her off of all of them. We will keep her on just one seizure medicine, since she does have a seizure every now and again. He said that there are only 2 kinds of treatments that help get rid of the spasms, & that is either a Steroid or Hormone treatment. The ACTH injection was brought up. You may remember, this was our worst nightmare at the beginning. We were set on NEVER giving this treatment to Abi. The side effects were horrible & the chance of the spasms coming back after the treatment was more common than not. This treatment was out of the question. But, Dr. E. helped us be more mindful of the ACTH & told us he likes to do a high dose & short term. Instead of a high dose & long term. He said you won't see all the side effects that you would if she were to be on the steroid for long term. The only thing we'll see is the irritability. But that should only last a week, cause the 2nd week she will start coming off of the treatment. If this treatment works, Abi could be spasm free. If not, then she will eventually grow out of them by age 3 or 4, but most likely will grow into having adult seizures.
Dr. E also wants Abi to have another MRI. Her first & only MRI she had was not the best of quality. And the dictation on it was not as clear as it should be. We learned that there is more going on in Abi's brain than just her missing her Corpus Callosum.
This probably doesn't mean anything to any of you. Or in any case, is boring. That's okay. I've said before, this blog is for my records. My journal. I need to write these things down, so I can someday go back & hopefully see the changes & progress we have made.
I just hope that Dr. E. doesn't think Dr. L is an idiot. He does not have the experience that Dr. E has. Dr. L told us to bring home as much information as we can so that he can be aware of this condition & better help his patients. Dr. E is going to write Dr. L a letter of the important things we talked about & hopefully help him understand the Infantile Spasms better & also Aicardi Syndrome. I don't want anyone to think that we think Dr. L is not helping us. He is! He is an amazing Neurologist & we couldn't have asked for better. He is so willing to help us out in any way that he can, & when we told him we were going to Texas for a second opinion, he was just as excited as we were.
We are so grateful for this opportunity. We are extremely grateful for doctors & medicine, & technology. I can't imagine us living in any other time than now. We truly are blessed with so much! I am grateful to all those out there that have a daughter with Aicardi Syndrome. And to those I have come to know through emails, blogs, & websites. It has been a blessing to communicate with families who are in the same situation we are. But I am also grateful for all the families who have a child with special needs. Abi has taught us so much! She is such a joy in our home (along with Lyvie)! She has taught us to have more compassion than ever can be imagined. Along with patience, love, & a desire to do better each day. She is an angel. We love our girls more than anything in this world. I cannot even begin to imagine not having them in my life. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of eternal families. 2 songs that touch my heart every time they are sang are: I Am a Child of God & Families Can Be Together Forever. Those songs are true. They are a testimony to me. I love my family so much! I love the Gospel! It's been a very emotional time for us, but we are grateful to have this chance & to reflect on life itself & why we are here. Remember how important life is. Life is a privilege. We should make the most of it & not take advantage of any second that goes by. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us & especially for our Abi. We feel the prayers. We love you all!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Look what Abi's doing!
Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com
(Sorry for the quality of this video. Dave took it with his cell phone)
Abi is now picking up finger foods & putting them in her mouth. We've been working with her with this for a long time. Thanks to her "Occupational Therapist" & the positive feedback we get from her. This is something so exciting for us, & reminds us how amazing life is & everything we can do, is such a blessing! Good Job Abba Dabba! We are so proud of all your accomplishments & the milestones you are making. We Love You!
Monday, October 13, 2008
:PeRFeCT:
Dave is taking a poetry class this semester & has had the opportunity to let his mind wander & write whatever he would like down on paper. This poem in particular has been very special to me. When I read this for the first time, I cried. And still when I read it, I cry. He's extremely talented & I'm grateful that he went with his feelings & wrote this poem.
:PERFECT:
Tiny hands grasp my right index finger,
Sparkling blue eyes gaze
Seeing something hidden from me.
Auburn curls frame your crooked little smile
Perfect.

Your eyes shake, squint and cringe
Body folds in half at the waist.
Tears roll down your cheeks,
As chaos engulfs us all.
MRI reveals a secret you hide,
Your mind is missing pieces.
Eyes tell a story that allows us to see,
You are different.
But Perfect.
Watching you struggle, working
To accomplish what others can do already.
Strength grows, tears fall and
Hope is blossomed from your smile.
Perfect.
:PERFECT:
Tiny hands grasp my right index finger,
Sparkling blue eyes gaze
Seeing something hidden from me.
Auburn curls frame your crooked little smile
Perfect.
Your eyes shake, squint and cringe
Body folds in half at the waist.
Tears roll down your cheeks,
As chaos engulfs us all.
MRI reveals a secret you hide,
Your mind is missing pieces.
Eyes tell a story that allows us to see,
You are different.
But Perfect.
Watching you struggle, working
To accomplish what others can do already.
Strength grows, tears fall and
Hope is blossomed from your smile.
Perfect.
Update on Abi:
She is still having seizures daily & we've even added a new medicine. Keppra. So far it hasn't helped, which is a bummer. We also scheduled her an appointment with a Pediatric Neurologist in Dallas Texas for December 18th. So we will be spending Christmas in Texas. We are anxiously awaiting this appointment & of coarse staying with Jay & Tita, & their family. Hopefully we'll find some answers that we've been looking for. Until then, we'll just continue to give Abi the best care she needs & pray that these seizures will stop.
She is still having seizures daily & we've even added a new medicine. Keppra. So far it hasn't helped, which is a bummer. We also scheduled her an appointment with a Pediatric Neurologist in Dallas Texas for December 18th. So we will be spending Christmas in Texas. We are anxiously awaiting this appointment & of coarse staying with Jay & Tita, & their family. Hopefully we'll find some answers that we've been looking for. Until then, we'll just continue to give Abi the best care she needs & pray that these seizures will stop.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
24 Hour EEG Results:
They found nothing! From the results of the test, it is showing NO seizure activity. I was extremely surprised by the results & am a bit frustrated. What we "thought" were seizures are not showing up as seizures. He did say she was having some misfires, but the times we pushed the button for the seizures, were nothing. Dave & I, along with Dr. L are so confused. He is unsure what is causing her eyes to do all the things they do, but wonders if we should go see her Ophthalmologist. I don't understand cause there were a few times that Abi would do the full on crunch & her eyes would look to the right (Partial Complex is what we were told before), and then her eyes would bounce or she would do the winking thing with her left eye. But they don't show up as seizures. WHAT??? I don't know what to think anymore. I am completely at a loss for words. I didn't even want to blog about this news, because it is so upsetting. Dave's dad said to me the other day, "Maybe she's tricking us." ha ha. It does not make any sense. Yes, what a blessing it is to hear that she is no longer having infantile spasms or seizures, but for some reason I do not believe that answer & will not accept the results until we find the "TRUE" reason for Abi's seizures. {Yes, I am going to call them seizures because #1 I do believe they ARE seizures, & #2 there is no other reason not to call them something different}. What is this new thing her eyes are doing? And when her eyes are doing these things, her breathing is labored, sometimes her eyes will water, & sometimes she is non responsive... all signs of a seizure!!! Now my other concern is, is the medication making her eyes worse and causing this to happen??? Or is it some type of tic she has picked up? Dr. L had a second Dr. look at the EEG results & he couldn't make out what to think of it either. They saw what we journaled while the tests was being performed. They saw how Abi's body would tense up & scrunch; saw her labored breathing, & saw her eyes do the things they did. How could the test not show up that anything was going on? Dr. L said he would review the video again, & call Abi's Ophthalmologists to get her in to see him. He also said he would do some more research on Aicardi Syndrome & on the medicines she is taking to see if these are side effects.
Am I wrong if I request another 24 hour EEG test to be done? Am I wrong to get a second opinion from another Dr? I am not mad or think less of Dr. L. He is just as frustrated as we are & wants to find the real reason for Abi's test results.
Since Abi was diagnosed with Aicardi Syndrome, we've had a father whose daughter has AS, email us. He keeps in contact with me & is very kind with his words of encouragement & support. It has been such a blessing to have contact with someone who has been through this with their own daughter. He & his family live in Texas. And there is a doctor in Dallas who is one of the top authorities in Aicardi Syndrome & has led many research projects for this disorder. We have talked about going down there to see him many times, but have never been for sure on it... until now. Dave & I really feel like we need a second opinion, & thought that he is somebody who can help us. As soon as I hear back from Dr. L, I hope to set up an appointment with Dr. E in Texas. Much thanks to Mike!!!
So there you have it, the results, or "mysteries" of Abi's EEG. For now we are at a stand still, but I know that there are answers, just not sure when we'll get them. Please pray for the Doctors & for Abigayle. We know there is something that the Lord is trying to teach us.
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