Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A Trip to the "Grand Mal"


Typically, going to the "Mal" would sound pretty appealing to Steph. "Is there a Forever 21 there?!" Not in this case, sadly. Last night at about 4:30 am, she experienced what seems to be an almost textbook version of a grand mal seizure. All muscles firing at once, eyes wide open, non-responsive to outside stimuli, etc. For both Steph and me, it was a pretty terrifying experience. Nothing like this had ever happened before to Steph, and I had never seen or dealt with anything like it either. The seizure itself lasted somewhere around 90 seconds, but the effects of it lingered for another seven minutes or so. Steph slowly progressed from totally unresponsive, to awake but disoriented and confused, before finally coming back around to her old self. She has no memory of the seizure. The first thing she does remember is waking up to me telling her that she had had a seizure, that she was going to be okay, and the eight paramedics hanging out around the bed staring at her were there to help. A bit jarring, to say the least.

After getting strapped onto a gurney, Steph was whisked off to the hospital. I packed up the girls and followed behind. We spent the next couple of hours jammed into a tiny room in the ER waiting for test results. At this point, everything (i.e. blood work, CAT scan, etc.) seems normal. There's no apparent cause of the seizure, which is actually pretty common in many cases. Often, a person will have a seizure like this once and then never have another one in their entire life. That's what we're hoping for here. We'll be visiting a neurologist tomorrow for an MRI and other tests. We're hoping that we'll get more information about what we are actually dealing with here. At this point, we're told that Steph cannot drive for three to four months. Yep, that's right. An active mother of three little girls with activities like pre-school, cheer clinic, school carpool, innumerable trips to Costco etc. can't get behind the wheel at all for at least three months. It's going to be fun scheduling this stuff out, but friends and family have graciously volunteered without hesitation to help make it work. Now Steph can join Heather (welcome home, girl!) in the private chauffeur club. A stroke and a seizure? It's Driving Miss Hazy.

Many thanks for all of your calls and generous offers to help. Steph has really been buoyed up talking to everyone. The dinner brought by the Taylors tonight was off the hook! The Smart Cookies Natalie Nelson delivered are contributing deliciously to our fat reserves. Marina Brown made it possible for me to take Andie to her first day of pre-school. Emily Evans made Andie and Avery disappear for a nice, quiet while. Mindy Christensen and Kim Copeland brought some rockin' treats. And there have been countless calls, texts, and gestures of support. Again, thank you to all.

I'll try to keep this updated, so check back when you can. Steph will probably get back in on the action here pretty quickly.

- Dave

6 comments:

KatieZ said...

So sorry Stephanie. We will be checking in on your progress and you are in our prayers!
Katie Z and family

Julie said...

Dang- what is in the water up there in Twin Bridges? Sweet little Heather called me from the hospital yesterday (before she went home) to tell me about you. Here she is, in a hospital bed herself, and she's worried about you and wanting to get help over there to you. What a great neighborhood you guys live in...except for that water...Anyways- we're hoping and praying that this is the last visit to the "Grand Mal" for you!

Mandee said...

Poor little thing... we've been so sad and worried for you. But at least you're still texting. I will bring you chocolate cake today. Or maybe in a few days since you guys seem to be loaded up on treats!

Kim said...

Steph--I just heard about your events! So sorry! We will happily help out...playdates, rides, grocery trips, whatever! We love you guys!

Summer said...

Wow Steph!! I had no idea!! I am so sorry this has happened. So scary. I'm glad to hear you are home and will pray all your testing comes out normal. I can fully sympathize with the no driving, I can drive but hardly go anywhere cuz of Mason's delicate health. I have not been to Costco or the mall since he was born!!! But I can certainly drop kids off places for you and would love to. Is Andie at Bear hollow this year? Let me know if I can help get her to and from. PLEASE!!!!
We are praying for you Steph and Dave.
With mich love and concern, Summer

Summer said...

Wow Steph!! I had no idea!! I am so sorry this has happened. So scary. I'm glad to hear you are home and will pray all your testing comes out normal. I can fully sympathize with the no driving, I can drive but hardly go anywhere cuz of Mason's delicate health. I have not been to Costco or the mall since he was born!!! But I can certainly drop kids off places for you and would love to. Is Andie at Bear hollow this year? Let me know if I can help get her to and from. PLEASE!!!!
We are praying for you Steph and Dave.
With mich love and concern, Summer