Lee's History and My Latest Yahoo! Article

What a good day it was today!

Yesterday I shared about Lee, and some of the things I observe in him as we travel through life.  If it's OK, I'd like to share some more about him today too...but please know that I know he isn't my only child!! :)

His Kindergarten class had a field trip today to the La Habra Children's Museum, and I got to accompany them as an official chaperon.  What a privilege that is!!  I remember too well how difficult it was to see his bus off last year as he went on his first-ever field trip.  I couldn't go, since I had a job to go to.  But this year, I have been on all of the field trips, and I count it all as a tremendous blessing.

When it was time to pack the kids back up onto the bus and head back to school, Lee and I left in our own car so that I could get him to a follow-up appointment with his pediatric neurologist in Long Beach.  This appointment came after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, since his initial appointment and EEG to possibly read seizure activity was a good 6 weeks ago.

When I was about 7 or 8 months pregnant with him, I noticed a strong shaking feeling in my abdomen, as if Thumper from the Disney movie Bambie were inside.  This happened around 3 times, and each time it would last for about 20-30 seconds.  I mentioned it to the doctor, but nothing happened when I was at a doctor appointment, so we were never able to evaluate it.

At 2 days old, Lee had a seizure at the hospital the night before we were to be discharged.  We lived in a small Nebraska town, and we were flown by helicopter to a hospital with a NICU.  For 6 days he was tested and evaluated and then released with neither a cause of the seizure, nor immediate alarm of damage having been done.

Fast forward to July 18 last year.  Lee was watching television one morning as I got ready for work, and out of nowhere he grabbed his head and cried just seconds before he fell over unconscious.  A day at the hospital revealed a Stage I Chiari Malformation.  The back of his brain, rather than being protected within the confines of his skull, protrudes down to his spinal column in his neck.  As horrifying as it seems, it is a benign malformation, as far as brain problems go.

Last December he was playing with Hugo and after having had a whiplash-type injury, he fell and went into a seizure.  After that episode, there followed multiple seizures and many visits to hospitals and doctor offices.

He is on anti-seizure medication, and the appointment today was an evaluation of the benefits and/or quality of the medication.  Thankfully, he was given a thumbs-up from the doctor, as the seizure activity has quieted since he has been medicated.  There have been few to no side effects, and as his blood has been tested for the levels of the medication in his system, it has been found to be at a relatively low level.  As Hugo put it, this means it is the best situation--not that much medication in his system, and what is there is doing its job.

Again, just like Lee, I have to learn how to live in a world where high-drama isn't the norm.  Two months ago, I was sure that the sky was falling again, and that we would be sent through a season of extreme stress and pain.  Yes, it has been extremely stressful and painful, but no more than what is normal in this thing we call life.  People get sick every day, or injured, or have less-than-perfect things happen.  It doesn't mean that the sun won't set tonight, or that the ocean will forget to stop at the shore.  It's a bump in the road, but yet we still have a road on which to travel, so all is well.

Guess what?!  I had an article published on Yahoo! today.  It is an inspirational article that gives the perspective of looking high, and even living high above the adversities of life.  Please check it out, and please share it with someone you know who may benefit from something uplifting.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8099469/soaring_high_above_the_adversities.html?cat=34

I love you all so much, and I thank you for your reading my Blog, and for your support.