M Update and Back Home

Precious Friends and Loved One,

What a week!  Exactly one week ago today M was being discharged from the hospital...Despite the fact the M was still in the same state that she was in upon arriving, there were no answers nor solutions given as to what could have been happening to M.  As many know, Tuesday of last week, M awoke and was incredibly dizzy and nauseated and could barely function and or stand on her own.  In fact, M's entire left side was seemingly paralyzed making it incredibly difficult to function.  With the help of a sweet friend at Critter's pre-school, we were able to get M into the car, but from there she went downhill.  By Wednesday we were in the hospital and after and EEG and a CT scan, there were still not any answers.  After our discharge, we came home and mustered through the weekend.  Several faithful friends and prayer warriors were by our side helping to provide care and assistance in the most loving fashion possible.  We're incredibly thankful for our friends that intervened and made M comfortable at home making it possible to have comfort and peace.  Their care and love actually allowed Daddy and Critter to get some special time at an Airshow in South Dallas!  What a treat!  Critter loved it and got to be up close to some amazing airplanes!

After our weekend and seeming that M was getting better, we were met with a hurdle on Monday as she was feeling much like she was on Tuesday/Wednesday of last week (which put us in the hospital).  All we could do was wait, watch, and try to assemble our Mayo Clinic team and our Primary Care doctor to triage.  Not figuring much out, we eventually did more blood work on Tuesday and miraculously M began feeling much better by Tuesday evening.  Since then, we have been closely monitoring and staying by her side making sure she doesn't have a repeat of the week's events if possible.

That said, today, she is doing much better (though having 5 seizures in about 15 hours) and is not having any dizziness or nausea to report.  Her left side is no longer paralyzed and she is able to be upright, ride in car, and most importantly, hold Critter.

While we still don't have answers as to what happened, we still seek the Lord and are trusting Him for his continued provision and strength.  Thank you again to all who have been praying and have been able to help us in our time of need!  I am thankful that I can post this praise and that you can rejoice with us!  Praise the Lord!

From M's Mom

God has blessed us with so many faithful prayer warriors...standing in the gap and lifting up my precious daughter in prayer. The tears are flowing as I read your posts on facebook of love and support and thoughts. How happy it must make God to see so many call on His name.

During this almost nine year journey, M and B have made it their focus to glorify God and have wanted Him to be the hero of their story. We have seen His hand in every improvement and good moments we have and the tough ones, too. These past few days, hundreds of you have prayed, reached out to us, and provided so much comfort. One old friend came to the house and prayed over M which was a leap of faith as he had never done this before, but God put it on his heart. How powerful is that? Another put aside the reminder of caring for her precious son she lost a year ago and used the skills she learned to come and care for my child. Others have reached out with fabulous ideas and recommendations, which we are pursuing.

God is so good!! I am reminded that "everyone is fighting a battle" and we must be kinder than necessary and continue to lift each other up daily.

Thank you, thank you, and may God bless you and may HE continue to be glorified. I love and appreciate you all beyond what my words can express.

Princess at the Hospital!!! Urgent!

Well, I really don't know where to begin.  You have seen a break in our posts simply because we have had a crazy summer like many.  We recently transitioned from C, world' best Au Pair, and trying to seek a replacement has proved to be quite the challenge.  As always, you- the community, our friends, have stepped up with support meeting our physical and spiritual needs.  Praise God for His provision.

Additionally, we are also very pleased to report that September was by far Princess' best month in almost 9 years!!!  As you know, Princess averages anywhere from 3 to 5 seizures/day.  Recently, that number has been trending down and for the month of September she was actually averaging less than 1 per day!  Praise the Lord! So, we have had a great month and Princess was finally getting some "Mommy Moments" and it has been good being a family of "three."  Critter in fact has been enjoying it too.  This is most noticeable with her help in prepping for dinner and even being most talkative at the dinner table.  She will even at times encourage Mom and Dad to stay seated while she clears the table being a "Servant of All."

While the trend was going well, Monday, Princess experienced the whole left side of her body coming to a screeching halt making it very difficult to walk.  Forcing herself to get around, the feeling subsided after about three hours and she was seemingly back to her old self.  Tuesday she awoke and just after sitting upright became extremely dizzy, nauseated, and again experienced a complete loss of function with her left side.  She forced and willed her way to get Critter to School, but then suddenly was unable to function.  Princess' day wound up with her back at home and completely in bed unable to stay awake or alert, and immobile.  Seemingly better Tuesday evening, bedtime was about the same as the day with Princess falling asleep.

Wednesday was much the same and a repeat of Tuesday.  However, the intensity and severity of her symptoms were much worse and we hightailed it to the ER.  While there wasn't much improvement to her situation in the ER, we were admitted into the hospital where we have been today.  We have been monitored by EEG for most of the day hoping that EEG activity will indicate if what Princess is feeling is actually a seizure.

As of now, the EEG has just been removed and we will be headed to get a CT scan at 1600 hrs.  The hope is that if the EEG didn't discover anything the CT might reveal something.  We're not sure exactly what would be found.

Please pray for guidance for all involved.  Understanding from the Physcians.  Our communication with all, Critter's mental health (by the way, she can do the cutest "Big Tex" impression ever - tribute to the World's greatest Texas State Fair going on now), Strength for Princess, and guidance for us as we venture into this new territory.

I will try to update more as I am able!

B