I got woken up by Makena's crying around six thirty in the morning. I went into her room to check on her and she was boiling hot - the kind of heat coming off her body that sent me into a quiet panic. I knew at this point that she was a ticking time bomb. She wasn't even warm when I put her to bed the night before. How could this happen? I quickly rushed to the kitchen and poured her a glass of juice. I scrambled to get a dose of tylenol and then returned to the room to try and coax her to drink either to bring her temperature down. Every attempt was met with screeching and tears.
(EM and Jack had taken off the day before for Alaska and my nephews were asleep at the other end of the house. I would be taking them to the airport for their flight home in a couple of hours.)
Before I could strip her down to cool her off, the nightmare I had lived through two years ago replayed itself. She suddenly jerked back stiffly in my arms and started to shake violently. Her eyes rolled back. She was having a febrile seizure. I watched this happen with surprising detachment. I think that my heart rate probably dropped to thirty beats per minute as I went into robo-mom mode. I remember hesitating between walking into the shower in the master or heading for the bathtub in her bathroom.
I opted for the latter.
I carried her jerking body and sat us both in her tub. I turned the cold water on and proceeded to splash her feet and then I let the water run up her legs and stomach. I drenched her as she jerked away. I was fully clothed and soaking wet holding her for I don't know how long. Probably only a minute which seemed like an eternity. I kept replaying the mantra my pediatrician had told me the last time this happened which was if the seizure lasts less than two minutes: Don't call 911.
The seizure stopped. I wiped the foam off her mouth and then I crawled out of the bath and laid her on the floor and proceeded to soak a bath towel and covered her with it. I then grabbed a hand towel, soaked it with cold water and placed it over her head and forehead. It was hard. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, nonreactive. I knew she was breathing. Her lips weren't blue. I called the pediatrician's office and left word with the operator that I was having an emergency.
I called,Wendy, my neighbor - who told me to call 911. By the time Wendy was in my house, Makena's doctor had called me back and was telling me to bring her into the office to check her out.
I handed Makena - still unresponsive and soaking wet - to Wendy and rushed to get dressed and grab clothes for Makena, when I realized that my two nephews were still here and asleep and supposed to leave for the airport in a couple of hours.
I grabbed their passports and ran into their room to wake them up and tell them as matter-of-factly as I could what had happened. Poor guys. What a way to end their stay with me. I handed them their passports, told them to make sure all their bags were packed and that I would let them know in an hour or so if they would have to take a taxi to the airport or if I could get a friend to drive them.
They walked me out and said goodbye to Makena and then Wendy drove me to the office. We didn't bother putting her in the car seat. I just held her in the back of the car as she slowly came to. On the way there, I called my other good friend, Debby, and asked her if she had the time to drive my nephews to the airport. She didn't hesitate and quickly told me that she could.
When we arrived at the pediatrician's, the staff was waiting for us and quickly directed us to a room and measured her vital signs. By then, Makena was cognisant, annoyed she was wet, fever less and seriously unhappy. Hurray, her fighting spirit was back.
Our doctor reassured me that she was going to be fine. Strep, ear infections and swine flu were ruled out. I was instructed to alternate between overlapping doses of Motrin and Tylenol for the next 48 hours to stop the fever from reoccurring. I was reminded that her febrile seizure did not cause her any brain damage and to call the office if I had any concerns or if she started to vomit. Nice.
On the way home, I called Debby who was driving the boys to catch their flight and told them that their cousin was okay and to have a safe trip home.
I debated whether to e-mail EM and Jack what had happened and decided to do so on the way home when I knew that we were in the clear. There was virtually no cell reception where they were staying at the fishing lodge - except for one spot by the end of the dock. I texted them to tell them what had happened, figuring that they had left to fish for the day and would get the message in the evening when they returned. And, of course, EM go the message within minutes of me sending it, because they hadn't left when I thought they would. He was naturally freaked out and ready to come home so I had to reassure him that his daughter was okay, that I could handle it and not to hop on three planes to get home and to go out and catch lots of fish.
I spent the weekend in pajamas with Makena letting her drink "spicy apple juice" - which is what she calls Sprite. We played with puzzles, read books, took our medicine, napped and recuperated. It was a very mellow 48 hours for a change.
My friends have all asked me how I stayed so calm through all this. I don't know. Since it was obviously different this time because it had happened once before and I knew what was in store, I went through the motions. As it was happening, I did keep telling myself to remain positive. It was stressful, sure but I didn't cry.
I have had several conversations with Makena's doctor over the lat two years about the reoccurrence of a fever induced seizure and he has coached me to resist sending her to the ER because of all the invasive procedures they do. The first time it happened we spent a day in the ER - as they botched her i.v., ran cat scans and drew blood and urine - mostly to rule out abuse. It was a horrible and traumatic experience for Makena, much more so than the seizure itself. They took one look at the Mongolian spots (birthmark) she has on her back and assumed that the seizure had happened because we were abusing her somehow. Not fun to be put on the defensive when you don't know what has happened to your child.
Now I do, but were this to happen again (which it most likely will as she won't be free of these until she is about five or six) and I wasn't around and the sitter or my friends freaked out, then obviously I would expect them to call 911.
I need a vacation. Wait. I just came back from one.
Is - hanging in there.
No comments:
Post a Comment