Dan Gould

Tag: Seizures

  • Christmas DVD

    For the last couple of years we have made a DVD of pictures with music in the back ground to give to family members as Christmas Gifts.  This years dvd will be no different but it will include a section titled Hospital.  It was pretty hard to make when I realize how many times we have been there with Jackson.  I am excited about the DVD but this section was challenging!

  • Back Again!!

    Well today marked our 5th ER visit with Jackson since early September.  We really thought that we were moving past this, but it just goes to show that at anytime things can change so much.  Jackson was completing a follow-up sleep study from his surgery that removed his tonsils and adenoids.  While there he had about a 3-5 minute seizure.  He was taken to Plano Presby for follow-up evaluation.  The only bad thing is he still has the electrodes on his head from the sleep study.  We have tried to get them off but those things are like super glued on his head and the Baby Shampoo Presby said would take it out didn’t work, nor did peanut-butter, and Vitamin E oil hasn’t worked to well either.

    Other than that Jackson is doing fine now, and the family is sleeping.  All of us have been up since 1:30am this morning.  The only reason I am able to stay awake right now is I had coffee this morning.  Don’t ask, I am not a coffee drinker, but I saw some old guys drinking it and was inspired to have a cup.  That’s all it took since I have not had caffeine since early October.

    We have had the unfortunate opportunity now of seeing every Hospital in Plano, Allen, and Frisco.  If I had to rate them on our experience, Stephanie and I would have to say that Children’s Medical Center in Plano has been by far the best with Centennial Medical Center in Frisco being a close second.  Both of these places have provided excellent care to Jackson and given us quick info and results.  Here is what our list would look like from best to worst care and experience.  Please keep in mind we have never had to wait in any ER waiting room at any of these hospitals.  This is based strictly on the care we felt was provided

    1. Children’s Medical Center Plano – great ER, great Nurses, great overnight staff, ok food (2 ER visits, 2 nights stay)
    2. Centennial Medical Center Frisco – great ER, great Nurses, great overnight staff, ok food (1 ER visit, 1 night stay)
    3. Medical Center Plano – old facility, decent care, not good food (2 days and 1 night stay)
    4. Plano Presby – Less than desired ER, Higher expectations than what was reality based on peoples references, Jackson became a pin cushion when getting blood-work done,  took extra long to get results.  (1 ER visit which was an all night deal)
    5. Allen Presby – Less than desired ER, Jackson became a pin cushion when getting blood, not kid friendly, great Labor and Delivery unit, awesome food.  (Labor and Delivery, 10 Night stay in NICU, 3 ER visits, 2 nights stay)

    If you were to look at Jackson right now, beside seeing a lubed head with electrodes stuck to it you would see a normal boy.  In fact, today on the way home from the hospital he was dancing and singing to the music on the radio.  I am so thankful that he is ok, and God has taught me a ton through this process, but I sure would like to not have to experience this anymore!  To see Jackson in minutes go from one extreme to the other is painful, and exhausting as a Dad.

    Lord Jesus, will you meet us where we are, comfort our fears, provide for our greatest needs, strengthen our family, and help us raise two boys to bring glory to your Name!

  • We are HOME!!!

    The last 24 hours have been hectic.  Seeing anyone have a seizure is never fun, let alone a young child and at that your own.  Jackson seems to be coming back to his normal self after having two seizures and meds trying to stop/stabilize him.  Yesterday he slept most of the day do to the fatigue a seizure brings to the body.  Today, we felt like we were trying to tame a wild animal.  Jackson wanted to walk but he was so topsy he couldn’t.  This made it very difficult to keep him happy.

    The good news, the doctor said it seems that Jackson’s metabolism is fast causing the seizure medicine he is on to go through his body faster.  So we were sent home with a high dosage 3 times a day.  The doctor also gave us some rectum Valium in-case Jackson did go into a seizure again that lasted longer than five minutes.  That kinda scares me, but I am sure in the moment adrenaline will kick in and allow us to do it!

    I have learned a lot about seizures over the last year, most of the learning’s happening in the last 48 hours.  Yesterday, one of the links under my post was another blog on seizures with some very helpful insight to what to do for someone seizing.  Here is a link to the blog, below is the article,

    Consider this a public service announcement. Seizures are something most people know very little about. And I’m finding that most people don’t have any interest to learn. The thing is, anyone can have a first unexpected seizure, and if it’s you, hope that someone around knows what to do.

    Not everyone having a seizure will froth at the mouth, or even shake or tremble. Some seizures involve just ‘zoning out’ for a short period (those ‘absence seizures’ don’t usually require any immediate medical attention). But most other seizures will involve either going limp and falling to the ground, or going rigid, or both. The body may also shake – either gently or more violently. So what do you do?

    • Calm down. Most seizures are not medical emergencies, and your calmness is the best thing for the situation.
    • Make sure there’s nothing sharp or hard near the person seizing. They should be in a rather comfortable place where they can’t fall (i.e., not the edge of the Grand Canyon, not a concrete sidewalk, no scissors or knifes nearby)
    • DO NOT put anything in their mouth. It is a myth that they could bite their tongue, swallow it, or anything like that. Do not attempt to rescue them from a myth.
    • If possible, it’s best for them to be on their side, especially if there are any indications that they might vomit.
    • Look for a clock and make a mental note of what time the seizure started. Also note what time it ends.
    • When the person stops seizing, they will be completely out of it for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on a lot of variables. Do talk to them to judge their level of consciousness. Also note what time they ‘come back’ to themselves.
    • If it was a first seizure, the person will need immediate medical attention to rule out potential causes like chemical ingestion and the like. But if the person has had seizures before, they probably don’t need medical attention unless the seizure itself lasted more than 10 minutes, or they don’t ‘come back’ to themselves after 15-20 minutes.

    There you have it, folks. It’s really not that hard. The basics are – nothing in the mouth, stay calm. I hope that if my son should have another seizure, and it happens when he’s not with me, that someone around will know what to do. You could be that person – if not to my son, then to someone else.

    We are thankful for the prayers and visits.  It really allowed us to see how loved we are and how the power of prayer provides strength. One of our small group leaders came by and brought gifts for Jackson and Josiah.  Joe loves the nerf dart gun and Jackson slept with his singing sea horse all the way home.  Here are some pics from our 4th Hospital visit in 2 1/2 months!  Just got a call today that we have a sleep study in two weeks.  I am hoping that will be the end of a very long medical nightmare and Jackson can return to the healthy boy he was before all this came upon us.

  • Seizures, Prayer, and Questions

    “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

    I need this verse to be real in my life today.  Today has been a roller coaster of emotion.  Just yesterday in one of my meetings I thanked some of our staff for their prayers, patients, and grace that they have shown our family over the last two months.  If you are a reader of the blog you know that the last two months have been filled with ER visits and stress.  Over the last two months Jackson has visited the the ER 4 different times and today, he was taken by ambulance.

    As I was spending time with God this morning Stephanie yells from me from our room.  I run in there and Jackson is having a full blown seizure.  I call 911 thinking it would be the fastest way to get care.  In the back of my head I am thinking he will stop seizing at anytime, but he doesn’t.  When the EMT’s arrive Jackson is still seizing, they tried to stabilize him but couldn’t get him stabilized.  They take him to the closest hospital to get the medical attention he needs.

    Once there he stabilizes for a little while but then has another seizure.  This caused the doctor and vurse to rule out a febrile seizure.  The type of seizure that comes on when you temperature goes from point a to point b really fast.  Jackson has had this type of seizure before.  It is really scary for those watching but they say it doesn’t do any damage to the child.  So, we don’t know exactly what we are facing now.  Jackson seizure today had to last at least 15-20 minutes, unless time stood still, I don’t think that is an exaggeration.  The good news is that the CT Scan and Chest X-Ray came back good.  They say he has a red ear so that is a sign of an ear infection (I hope that isn’t an indication or start of a new problem).  Our neurologist wanted us to be transferred to a hospital he has jurisdiction over so they moved us to Medical Center of Plano, where we have been all afternoon as Jackson sleeps off the meds and the affects of the seizure.  We still haven’t talked to our neurologist so we are taking that to mean maybe it’s not that bad.

    So we sit and wait for answers.  Thanks to all that have prayed with us and for us today.  We do believe God is still in control.  Please continue to pray for us.

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  • Prayer for Jackson and Us

    Tonight, Jackson will go to a sleep study to see why he stops breathing and why he snores/wheezes tosses and turns.  Yesterday the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist said that Jackson’s Adenoids and Tonsils weren’t extremely large and so now we are taking the next step and praying that the sleep study will get a good read and be able to determine the problem and cause.

    Please pray for our sanity.  Stephanie and I both seem to be emotionally, and physically drained.  It’s hard enough dealing with the seizures and now with all of this I feel we have hit our limit.  I don’t think I have felt so helpless before.  I want to fix it but can’t.  I have been praying this verse since last night.  It was the theme verse for our small groups talking about coping and how we do that when stressful things happen.

    “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

  • Prayer for Jackson – Day 3

    We are HOME!!!!  Jackson is almost back to himself!  He is still congested! The respiratory nurse said it wasn’t in his chest anymore but sound to be in his upper respiratory.  He tends to run a slight fever so we will be watching that like a hawk and continue to give him Motrin.

    Thanks again for all the prayers, visits, comments from posts, phone calls, e-mails, and txts.  We are so blessed to have friends and family that care so deeply for us!

  • Prayer for Jackson

    Well we are at the Hospital!  Jackson was having trouble breathing last night, well early this morning.  When we got him to the hospital the real scare happened.  Jackson is on anti seizure medicine, and has had several test to find out why he was twitching earlier this past year, but luckily, until early this morning, Stephanie and I had never seen him actually have a seizure.   I am just glad it happened here at the hospital because it would have really freaked us out if that happened in our home.

    The hospital has admitted him because he has the onset of pneumonia.  We are in a holding room at the ER at Presbyterian Allen until another room becomes available.  This hospital is a place we know all to well!

    Right now he is sleeping, Stephanie and Josiah ran home to shower and bring stuff back for the day.  As for me . . . trying to be strong, praying a lot, and wishing Jackson was perfectly healthy.  I am so tired of the stress that this adds and just want it to be done!

    Please pray for Jackson and our Family!