Got Milk?

Gracey has been growing, what seems, right before our eyes! I really don't know where the time goes, or how all of the sudden she has turned from my baby into a real person. I thought I would highlight a few things about her that are worth sharing, but most of all, worth remembering.



Last month, Gracey started getting serious stomach cramps. She had no other symptoms of illness, but her stomach would hurt her so badly that she would be unable to move. About a week of these stomach cramps coming and going, something told me to have her avoid dairy. My little brother developed a lactose intolerance when he was in elementary school that I vaguely remembered. I decided to give that a shot. She quit milk and cheese cold turkey and sure enough, no more stomach pains. I was planning on giving her some dairy after a week or so as a cruel, but insightful, confirmation that she was indeed lactose intolerant. About the same time I was planning on doing that, I get a call from her school telling me that she had stomach pains again. Sure enough, she had pudding for a snack and that did it. She had no idea that pudding had milk in it and her teacher admittedly said she wasn't thinking. (I don't blame her at all. Gosh, she has 22 little ones to take care of!) From then on, we gave her lactose enzymes and she was fixed. She was so good about remembering and reminding me to have one. The tablets made life so much easier for all of us. She could eat any dairy product she wanted without having those awful pains afterward.

About a month later, we both forgot one time. It wasn't until about an hour or so AFTER mealtime that we realized it. It was at that time we also realized that she wasn't having any stomach pains either. So we decided to experiment once again and try having dairy without the tablets. Wouldn't you know it...no more cramps. I don't know what the heck was going on in her little body for that month, but I am glad it's over.

And if anyone needs lactaid enzymes, we have a whole lot that we will share.

Just when we thought they were a thing of the past.

Sunday morning started out pretty ordinary I guess. I woke up not feeling well, which wasn't a surprise since I have had a case of the flu a few days prior. Corky was at church meetings already so I was going to get my girls ready for church, head to Sacrament meeting, then I would come home and rest while everyone else stayed at church. When the girls woke up, I knew immediately Emily wasn't feeling well either. She had a fever and no appetite at all. I then decided that I would stay home with her while Corky would come pick Gracey up before church started.

I walked out of the bathroom with Gracey, where I was helping her do her hair. I took one look at Emily and immediately knew she was having a seizure. She had a blank, glazed over stare, and would not react in the slightest to my words. I ran over, knelt down in front of her,and holding her face in my hands, I just started talking to her. I had my phone by me so I called Corky. I knew he was in a meeting and wouldn't pick up the first time, but would realize it was urgent if I called a second. I know my husband so well because that is just what happened! I told him Em was having a seizure and he left the church right away and was home in about 2 minutes.

At this point Emily was still seizing, foaming a little at the mouth, and somewhat flailing her arms, trying to gain control. Corky opened the door and I wrapped her up in the blanket she was sitting on, realizing then that she had urinated. I asked Gracey to grab me some shoes and we were off. I sat in the back of the car holding Emily, while Corky drove the 2-3 miles to the emergency room.

She had a fever of 102 degrees and so that was the first thing that we needed to take control of. Fevers can make just about anyone have a seizure, but with her seizure disorder, she is even more susceptible. As she became more alert her bahvior became more normal. She tried to talk to us and also was trying to kick Gracey! We knew she was feeling much better and we were so grateful!




After a seizure, there is a time where the brain is trying to "wake up" and it can make the person act a little drunk. Emily was no different. She tried to eat the cotton ball that was used when they were administering her IV and she tried multiple times to have the doctor hold her, which I think he thought was kind of cute. I drove home to get her a change of clothes and my purse, so I will have to have Corky sit and write down anything else that I am not remembering I heard while I was gone.



She was feeling much better and got her appetite back, so the nurse brought some apple sauce for both girls, which Emily scarfed down in about 5 bites!



It was a stressful few hours but looking back, I am really grateful for the wake up call it was. Even though she had an EEG done a few months ago and we continue to give her anti-seizure medicine, we didn't really think we would experience this again. Now we know to continue educating ourselves, teaching Gracey what to do, and even start teaching Emily the symptoms so that she might be able to know that one is coming.

I was proud of all of us on Sunday for staying as calm as we did. Watching Emily go through that is no easy thing, but when you are educated, it is easier to stay calm. I knew that as long as she didn't have any foreign objects blocking her airway, she would continue to breathe. I also knew, probably above anything else, that Gracey was going to react in the same manner that I did, so I felt an even greater responsibility to stay calm and collected. Gracey will most certainly remember this, and I didn't want her to remember chaos or panic.

Just like anyone who takes a CPR class, you hope you never have to do it. Corky and I were scared, for sure, but we also felt prepared. We just really hope to never have to go through that again, mostly for Emily's sake, More than anything, we are SO GRATEFUL that Emily is doing well! We are grateful for modern medicine and knowledge of what is going on in that sweet, little brain of hers!

She came home about 3 hours after entering the hospital. As if our day wasn't crazy enough up to that point, that afternoon we got a new puppy (that deserves its own post), and Emily was playing dress ups like any other day! We love her and are so glad she is doing well!




Her and I are driving to Tulsa this afternoon to meet with her neurologist, so we will keep you posted.