Happy 4th of July + Epilepsy



Hi there! I hope you had a fantastic 4th of July!

Last night, I took Emma to see the fireworks for the first time in five years.  Yes.  FIVE years.  The last time I took her, she had seizures back to back the following morning.  I gave her the klonipin wafer as a rescue med and she seized right through it.  I had to call the paramedics and unfortunately, she stopped breathing and started choking and needed a breathing tube.  She went unconscious in the ambulance.
Once she arrived at the emergency room, she had blood work drawn (to measure for infection and check her seizure medication levels in her blood), imaging of her head and just monitored.  Literally, within three hours- she was awake, a little groggy but ready to go.  It turned out her medication levels were extremely low and most likely due to a recent growth spurt.

Which caused her seizure?

I think it was a perfect storm.  Staring at fireworks (which have a strobe light effect), she didn't sleep very well that night and right about that time, she needed an increased dose in medication.  Maybe all three caused it.

She hasn't had a tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) seizure since then but she does have constant seizures that aren't outwardly obvious- they effect her ability to speak.

I figured this year we could try it again.  Since 2009- she is on two different seizure medications- Topamax and Carbatrol and she's been really stable.  Her medications were recently increased so I figured we were safe and this time, we were a mile away from the fireworks.

Of course, today, I am watching her like a hawk but I think we had a successful 4th of July!

How was yours?








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