Update on Karah as of June 17th

Monday night I decided to sit with my laptop downstairs on my bed in the dark. This never happens. I am usually upstairs and I always have the lights on! While I was checking my emails and digital scrapbooking (about 10:30pm on 6-14-10) I heard a sound coming from Karah. I couldn't tell what she was doing-laughing in her sleep or choking so I rushed to her side. She was having a seizure, convulsing, eyes in the back of her head, drooling. I freaked out a little and ran her up to my mom's room (thank goodness I wasn't intruding on anything!) She still hadn't come to. I laid her on the bed and she looked at us with her scared and panicked eyes. She was stuck inside this tiny body and didn't know what was happening. A few minutes later she started to try to tell us things however we couldn't understand any of it! Very bad slurring. Her face was paralyzed on the left side which left me worrying about a possible stroke (her face did the same thing last time.) I tried to remember the stroke test questions. Stick your tongue out-it went to the right. Smile-she wouldn't smile. Talk-she couldn't say simple sentences. A few minutes later she was back to herself and tired so I put her back to bed. I called and left a message with the doctor that next morning telling him that she had had another seizure and I think she had been having them without us knowing. (That day she got her cast on-it's red by the way. She got a buckle fracture above her left wrist last week.) The next day the doctor called and discussed what he thinks is happening with Karah. The seizures are originating in her brain (not from the cyst or her heart.) Based on the EEG, her right central temperal region had irregular brain activity which would coincide with the seizures she is having. He has diagnosed her with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy and Todd's Paralysis which would explain the temporary paralysis after each seizure. With Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, the patients have about 80% of their seizures at night. She currently isn't having any developmental delays so I believe that's why it is considered benign. I hear it is very responsive to daily medication and she will be taking some two times each day. I just have to keep track of the seizures (that I notice) and let the neurologist know. His goal is for us to have our same wonderful, happy little girl back! I like that! She still has to see a few other doctors like cardiology for her heart (cardiac arrhythmia) and the neurosurgeon for the arrachnoid cyst on her brain just in case she has other problems too. This morning Karah had two more seizures. Upon hearing them in my sleep, I recognized the sound as one I've heard numerous times and didn't know where it was coming from...it was Karah having a seizure. Before I knew she was having problems, I would be awakened by this sound (of her choking/gasping during a seizure) but when I would wake up enough to try to find out where the sound was coming from, it was gone so I would go back to sleep. Now I know she has definitely been having them for awhile now, just not in front of me. I am grateful I was inspired to be in the right place at the right time so I could witness what is going on with her so she would be able to be helped. It is really weird but I have had this feeling for a long time now that something wasn't right with her health. I kept pushing it aside because she had no symptoms and was a completely normal kid! I guess it was my motherly instinct telling me something was not right. It's hard to pursue it with the doctors though-you go in, they say what's wrong? You say, I don't know, I just have this feeling. They say you are overreacting or something like that and say your kid is fine. Now at least we know what it is, where to go from here and how to help her. For that I am grateful. We will be fine. We will move on and work past this. Karah will continue to be a happy, healthy and wonderful child-I know she will! I sure love her! Thanks for all the love and support! It is greatly appreciated!