Oh the trials of being a parent. No matter how old our children get, when they are sick and/or scared, we see them as a little child instead of a grown-up. My 21 year old daughter Amber was addmitted to the hospital today because of her seizures. She started having Petit Mal or Absence seizures when she was 10 years old. It started as her seeming like she was just daydreaming but as time went on, we realized it was something more serious. She would seem to fall into a trans like state (we called it zoning out) and would last about 15 to 30 seconds. We had her tested and they found she had epelipsy. She has been taking medicine since then to control the seizures.
In 2007, she had her first Grand Mal. Thank God it was here at home. We took her to emergency and after testing found she wasn't taking her medicine the way she was supposed to. The fear of the seizure got her in the habit of taking her meds on time daily. She was seizure free for 3 years and beginning to do paperwork to get her drivers license. As a mom who worries, I wanted to make sure she was on track with her medicine. I noticed some instances where she was late taking it and wondered if she was going back to her old way. I prayed that if she was going to have a seizure, it would be before she started driving and not after. Low and behold, one week before Thanksgiving, she had another grand mal seizure. Thankfully, again this one was at home. I took her to emergency and they confirmed what I had been suspecting. Her medicine levels were low. Now the reality of her actions was beginning to set in. There went her dream of driving at this time and now her fear of another seizure had set in. We synchronized our phone alarms and set up the scheduled times on our phones and I was monitoring her.
Knowing she was taking her medicine the way she was supposed to and at the right times, I was starting to feel more relaxed. Then on February 8th, as she was getting ready for school, she had another grand mal seizure. This time, I was scared because I didn't know what caused it. I took her for lab work and to the Dr. and all her medicine levels were normal. The Dr. added a new medication and we have been observing her the last few weeks. She is extremely tired, moody and not herself. She seems slow and sometimes confused. Not her normal bubbly self. Thursday nite after she got home from work, Robert was talking to her and she zoned out. Concerned, we called the Dr. on Friday and he immediatley said he wanted her admitted to the hospital. He is concerned about why the seizures all of a sudden. He wants to completely take her off her current medicine and change to a new one. In order to do that, he wants her monitored in the hospital in case a seizure occurs. He will have lab work done and also an MRI of her brain to see what is going on.
This is the first time she has ever been in the hospital. She was reluctant to go. She is very scared! About 30 years ago, my cousin, who also had epelipsy, was in the hospital for surgery and had an aneurism and passed away. Amber said she was scared because of what happened to her. She associates my cousins death with epelipsy, which was not related. We tried to reassure her but when we were leaving the hospital, she cried and didn't want me to leave her alone. My heart ached to have to leave her. Michel was there with her and I think he will stay pretty late. At least he said he would be there late after she fell asleep.
I just pray that the doctors can find out the cause and that my baby can be seizure free and live a normal life.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Lucky Bear
I love this little Bear and hope he brings everyone who steps into my world, lots and lots of luck!
Been Gone and Now I'm Back
Well, it's been a crazy time around the Felipe household. We are finally relaxing a little after Amber's medical issues. She is doing better. The doctor has her on a new medicine along with her regular ones and the new one makes her really, really tired. I still see that she's down a little but I think with school, work and thank God for Michel, she keeps pretty busy. Keep her in your prayers!
Alyssa is very busy with school and softball practice. They have really begun to work the girls every single day. By the time she gets home she's exhausted and has just enough time to eat and do her homework. One good thing is her texting is down! Yeah! The softball season starts in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see the progress these girls have made. With all this practice, maybe we'll make it to CIF this year.
Robert has been working hard at work and then tutoring after work. This is almost every day and he's beat by the time he gets home. The little ones are great and getting over being sick. Patrick is working very hard preparing for the State Writing Test next week. I think he's worked so hard that he forgot his birthday is next week also. I can't believe he's gonna be 10 years old already. Seems like yesterday I was pushing him around in a stroller.
That leaves me....I have been really busy keeping things afloat here at home. I have been busy with EBAY and also working on Chic Boutique. I created a blog for the business, cbpurses.blogspot.com, and have been working on it the last few days. I finally finished it and I really like how it turned out. I just need a few little touches here and there but overall I'm proud of what it is. I also have done some little things to this blog one being the comment section. I have changed it so anyone can comment on my articles. Please try it out so I can make sure it's working.
Well, that's all the time I have now. Must put on my teaching hat and start class with Patrick. Have a great week and enjoy the last few days of February. Bundle up this week-end...It's gonna be a cold one, Brr!
Alyssa is very busy with school and softball practice. They have really begun to work the girls every single day. By the time she gets home she's exhausted and has just enough time to eat and do her homework. One good thing is her texting is down! Yeah! The softball season starts in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see the progress these girls have made. With all this practice, maybe we'll make it to CIF this year.
Robert has been working hard at work and then tutoring after work. This is almost every day and he's beat by the time he gets home. The little ones are great and getting over being sick. Patrick is working very hard preparing for the State Writing Test next week. I think he's worked so hard that he forgot his birthday is next week also. I can't believe he's gonna be 10 years old already. Seems like yesterday I was pushing him around in a stroller.
That leaves me....I have been really busy keeping things afloat here at home. I have been busy with EBAY and also working on Chic Boutique. I created a blog for the business, cbpurses.blogspot.com, and have been working on it the last few days. I finally finished it and I really like how it turned out. I just need a few little touches here and there but overall I'm proud of what it is. I also have done some little things to this blog one being the comment section. I have changed it so anyone can comment on my articles. Please try it out so I can make sure it's working.
Well, that's all the time I have now. Must put on my teaching hat and start class with Patrick. Have a great week and enjoy the last few days of February. Bundle up this week-end...It's gonna be a cold one, Brr!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
I made it through!
Well I made it through the week and what a stressful week it was. Amber had another seizure on Tuesday morning. It was a normal day, the kids were getting ready for school and I had just gotten out of the shower. All of a sudden, I heard a loud thud and a moan, followed by Patrick screaming for me that Amber was having a seizure. I threw on my robe and ran to the hall bathroom to find my daughter on the floor in the middle of a seizure. Terrified, I yelled for my son to call his dad and begged him to come back home saying, "I need you, and I'm scared... I can't do this by myself again" Robert, being the calm one, told me to just make sure she was breathing OK and stay with her until the seizure stopped and make sure she was breathing. When she stopped convulsing, I made sure she was breathing, wiped her mouth and stayed with her until she came out of it. Once she was awake and alert, I explained that she had another seizure and we took her to bed. I asked her a series of questions and knew she was not fully aware of things because she couldn't remember what happened the night before. I left her to sleep and was at peace knowing she was in bed asleep. Later when she got up to go to the bathroom, I told her not to lock the door and it seemed like eternity while she was on the other side of that door. I kept hoping I didn't hear that sound of her falling again. I can't explain how terrifying the days and weeks following a seizure are for me. Every sound, bang, thud, yell sends me into a panic.
Wednesday morning I took her for lab work and didn't get the results until Thursday morning. Not the news I wanted to hear. Her med levels were normal. This is only her third seizure in the last 3 years but the last two were because she wasn't taking her medicine the way she was supposed to. At least with that we knew that as long as she took her meds the correct way, we could prevent seizures. To know that her levels are normal and she still had a seizure is scary for me because it means she can have another one at any time. Her last seizure was in November and the one before that was three years ago.
Friday morning I took her to the doctor and he explained that A. her levels may have been low but because her test was takent he day after the seizure and 3 doses of medicine were already in her system, her levels could have gone up and showed normal on the test or B. her body has grown immune to the medicine. Dr. decided to add another medicine to her current prescription. This new medicine is supposed to be good and he thinks she'll benefit from it. The side effects: tiredness and dizziness. Great! Lets add some sleepiness to her already sleepy state.
Since Tuesday, I have held in the urge to bust out crying from my frustration, saddness and fear. I feel I have to be strong so I don't upset not only Amber but Patrick as well. For a 9 year old, he worries so much about things, especially his sisters. When I am alone, I can't help but cry and pray that we don't experience another seizure. I can't seem to get the image of my beautiful daughter lying on the floor helpless. After her first seizure, I had that image in my head for a long time and had erased it from my mind when she had her second one in November. I was still getting over that one and starting to relax a little when this one hit.
I don't know what's harder, living with the fear of another seizure or seeing my beautiful happy 21 year old, slip into a depressed state because she is so tired of having a disorder that prevents her from doing things that others her age take for granted. I am a mom who lives for my kids and worry about them all the time but especially now, am terrified to be away from my daughter...terrified every time she takes a shower. Today was her first day back to work and I called her several times to make sure she was OK. She sounds so tired and sad! For now, I feel good knowing she is home, in bed and safe. For now, I have a sense of security because it's the week-end and I am not alone. I will take that and enjoy every moment of it because come Monday, Robert goes back to work and Amber goes back to school and the fear starts all over again.
I am praying that the Will of God will one day free her of her seizures and allow her to live a normal life she wants and deserves.
Wednesday morning I took her for lab work and didn't get the results until Thursday morning. Not the news I wanted to hear. Her med levels were normal. This is only her third seizure in the last 3 years but the last two were because she wasn't taking her medicine the way she was supposed to. At least with that we knew that as long as she took her meds the correct way, we could prevent seizures. To know that her levels are normal and she still had a seizure is scary for me because it means she can have another one at any time. Her last seizure was in November and the one before that was three years ago.
Friday morning I took her to the doctor and he explained that A. her levels may have been low but because her test was takent he day after the seizure and 3 doses of medicine were already in her system, her levels could have gone up and showed normal on the test or B. her body has grown immune to the medicine. Dr. decided to add another medicine to her current prescription. This new medicine is supposed to be good and he thinks she'll benefit from it. The side effects: tiredness and dizziness. Great! Lets add some sleepiness to her already sleepy state.
Since Tuesday, I have held in the urge to bust out crying from my frustration, saddness and fear. I feel I have to be strong so I don't upset not only Amber but Patrick as well. For a 9 year old, he worries so much about things, especially his sisters. When I am alone, I can't help but cry and pray that we don't experience another seizure. I can't seem to get the image of my beautiful daughter lying on the floor helpless. After her first seizure, I had that image in my head for a long time and had erased it from my mind when she had her second one in November. I was still getting over that one and starting to relax a little when this one hit.
I don't know what's harder, living with the fear of another seizure or seeing my beautiful happy 21 year old, slip into a depressed state because she is so tired of having a disorder that prevents her from doing things that others her age take for granted. I am a mom who lives for my kids and worry about them all the time but especially now, am terrified to be away from my daughter...terrified every time she takes a shower. Today was her first day back to work and I called her several times to make sure she was OK. She sounds so tired and sad! For now, I feel good knowing she is home, in bed and safe. For now, I have a sense of security because it's the week-end and I am not alone. I will take that and enjoy every moment of it because come Monday, Robert goes back to work and Amber goes back to school and the fear starts all over again.
I am praying that the Will of God will one day free her of her seizures and allow her to live a normal life she wants and deserves.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Saturday, February 12th Sale
Hey everyone, just want to let you know we will be selling our purses on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Orange County Christian School. This is a parking lot sale and we will have a booth with our purses, wallets and purse hooks. The sale is from 7am - 2pm. Come check us out!
Orange County Christian School
641 Western Ave., Anaheim 92804
(Located on Western near Orange Ave.)
Orange County Christian School
641 Western Ave., Anaheim 92804
(Located on Western near Orange Ave.)
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