Neurologist

Today we went to see the Neurologist up at Primary Children's Hospital. People keep asking me how it went and I'm not sure how to respond. I guess it went well in some ways. It was nice to talk to a specialist who actually knows something about seizures instead of talking to general docs who just have the basic info. I told the Neurologist all about our history with seizures, both Keira's history, my own, and my mom's. (I had two as a toddler and my mom has Epilepsy) She (the Dr) did a bunch of tests with her to test her development physically and mentally to see if the seizures have affected her and she passed with flying colors. The Dr said Keira's doing things that she doesn't expect a child in Kindergarten to do. (Me? Proud? Nah! Ok, just a little.) Anyways, given the circumstances surrounding her seizures and her family history the Neurologist seemed pretty certain that Keira has Epilepsy. Funny, but she didn't even mention the possibility of it being Febrile Seizures; something 2 out of the 4 doctors were sure it was, but I didn't think it was from seizure #1). Just goes to show you should trust your instinct and see a specialist rather than a regular Dr if you're concerned about a specific issue.

Anyways, I'm still learning and have a lot to learn about Epilepsy so I can't regurgitate a lot about it and share details, but basically she has a general type of Epilepsy that isn't triggered by anything (that we can tell). We'll be doing an EEG next week to learn more about Keira's brain and confirm that diagnosis if we can. If the test shows any indication that it might not be Epilepsy then we'll move on to an MRI to see if there are any abnormalities or tumors in her brain causing the seizures. The Neurologist started talking about putting her on meds today, and that kind of overwhelmed me. I didn't expect to be discussing that today, I guess. She gave me info on meds for me to take home an mull over. I have a lot to think about. I don't like the idea of putting her on meds. Of course I will weigh my options and decide upon one that will benefit Keira the most, but I'm not liking my options. All of the med options have possible side affects that I don't want Keira to have, such as irritability for one, and weight gain due to an increased appetite. I don't want my Keira to be altered due to meds. The Dr said that even though her seizures aren't affecting her initially, over time they can cause harm to the brain. There have also been cases where seizures have been fatal to children (due to not breathing or being harmed as they're having the seizure from falling or drowning), so we run that risk by letting them keep happening.

Anyways, there you have it. Keira has Epilepsy (probably). She asked me why we were going to the Dr and I was at a loss of words. How do I explain what's going on? I'm not afraid of scaring her, but I don't think she'll be able to comprehend what it means to have seizures and I'm not about to tell her that her brain is broken. :P

On a side note, Richard's on a plane to London right now. He left early this morning and won't arrive until tomorrow morning. Despite sending my husband off and hearing that my daughter has Epilepsy (probably) it has been a good day. I feel strengthened somehow and optimistic. Plus I have an amazing support group around me to buoy me up. My mother-in-law watched my younger kids while I took Keira to the Dr this morning, and my neighbors had me over for dinner tonight. One day down, 32 to go.