May Update

Here we go again...it seems.

We have been rolling along, but the last few weeks have kept us on our toes.  Sam has had moderately high blood sugars during the day but enough lows to keep me from changing his 24 hour insulin he takes before bed.  Last Saturday, he complained his stomach hurt all day.  He would get up to play with the dogs or his Legos and end up back on the couch.  Finally, at about 8:30 or 9:00, I thought what would Carla say if I called her with his symptoms?  I immediately thought she'd ask if I had checked him for ketones.  Nope!  His blood sugar had not been that high.  So we checked and found they were really bad.  So there was another bit of time to get them gone before we could go to bed.  It usually entails drinking a lot of Gatorade and water and checking every hour to make sure they are getting better and blood sugars are not worse!  We got him settled down within a couple of hours, thankfully.  But we still battled them off and on for a week.  He had two places on his leg that we treated with antibiotics, in case they were something worse than staph; so that could have affected him - fighting infection.  He seemed better on Saturday after having some weird numbers on Thursday and Friday.  He seems better still.  But I did go ahead and change his Lantus last night (24 hour insulin) and sent him to bed at a good number.  Not long after, I was reading in bed; and he slipped in to show me a 42 on his meter!  So I rolled back out of bed and fed him every snack he wanted until 45 minutes went by, and we had a reading in the 140's.  I slept through my 1:15 am alarm and checked him around 4:00 am.  He was a tiny bit high, but at night that is more of a relief after lows!

We went to an outside wedding near Charlotte on Saturday.  I kept telling Andrew and Sam to drink water and stay in the shade.  The actual wedding was out in the sun with no shade, but it was not long.  So even though it was very hot, they were fanning themselves and staying under an umbrella or the open shelter.  After the maid of honor gave her pages long toast, Andrew came from the table beside me and asked if I could go and see if I had emergency meds in the car "just in case."  I looked at him and asked if he was okay.  Then Pete looked at him and jumped up.  Fortunately, we were at the end of the shelter and could get him away from the reception and in front of the catering van parked in the grass.  I was torn between running to the car (parked quite a bit away) and staying but knew I needed to check on the meds, so I started running.  And praying.  I am not in good shape at all and am working on it, but I will need to work faster and harder now.  I was able to run down the hill and then walk fast.  As I got close to my car, Pop came with a golf cart and helped me search the car.  I felt sure the medicine was under the seat, but I could not find it.  So I got into the car and drove it up to the shelter to help.  By the time I got back, the seizure was over and sirens were coming our way.  Sam helped direct the first responders to Andrew (for the second time in a month).    They were so kind and helpful and were great checking on Andrew.  There were two fire response trucks and an ambulance.  Since we were at a winery, I am not sure what they thought they might find.  But we were thankful for them and a recent ASU nursing grad.  She and her boyfriend sat at the end of the aisle beside Pete, and they had talked before the wedding.  She kept an eye on Andrew and even noticed the cut on his head when they sat him up.  Not until we got him situated and then put him in the air conditioned car to hurry home did I know that Pete was really scared with this one too.  He watched Andrew go through it and come out of it without any medical help.  And it was tough.  Sometimes emergency meds don't kick in for a minute or so.  But it seems like 10 minutes when you are watching him not breathing.  It is so so scary.

We loaded up.  Andrew was still so polite.  He told his cousin he was sorry he disrupted his big wedding day.  His cousin went and got him some water and told him not to worry - that he understood.  And then we just went on.

The emergency people told us what to do if he had another on the way home.  To keep driving and call 911 and let them tell us to stop or to meet them somewhere.  That was good to know.  We did not have any problems on the way home, as we hurried home.  He slept in my spot again, and he did not have any problems during the night.

Yesterday, Andrew could not make Sunday School; but he was at church doing the sound.  We got there a few minutes before church started, and some who knew about his Saturday were happily surprised to see him.  I felt good knowing he wanted to be in church.

Since today is Memorial Day, I guess I will have to start all of my inquiries tomorrow.  Something is off, is not right.  Whether it's still getting his thyroid medicine straightened out (but it's been almost four weeks now, since we corrected that) or getting a new MRI (he has not had one in a while) or something else.  He has four specialist appointments in June, so we need to gather all of the information we can before those appointments.  We just need lots of prayers for guidance.

Pete started to fuss at Andrew a little bit about not telling us he thought he was going to have a seizure.  He wants him to not ask for medicine but to tell us he feels like a seizure is coming.  But I told Pete that he has felt bad before and not had one.  Andrew and I were on the interstate coming home from UT Knoxville around midnight after he ran a 10,000 and he felt weird.  We were on a dark stretch with no exits for a while.  Andrew put his medicine on the dash and a blanket on his lap.  And we had a plan that if he had a seizure, I would pull over and call 911 on speaker and pull him out and put him on the blanket.  I drove as fast as I safely could, and I prayed.  Very hard.  And then the feeling passed.  And he did not have one.  So we are thankful when he feels one coming on but are so thankful when they don't get him.

Once again, we are thankful that he is okay.  He could have these when we are not there to help.  We give him medicine when we can and turn him on his side and talk to him (and sometimes yell to try to get him back) and pray and pray and pray for it to let up and go away.  It's hard, but I would never trade that for him being by himself.  God is good.

Please pray for Andrew.  And for us to seek out what he needs.  Thanks so much.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."  Romans 15:13


This verse has been taped to my computer for years.  I need to read it often.

UPDATE:  I was in touch with Duke today.  Andrew has a July 31 appointment with a neurologist who specializes in difficult to control seizures and autoimmune issues.  He is also on a waiting list in case an earlier appointment becomes available.  Thanks again for praying.

An April Update

We are happy to see the end of April go!  Particularly the very end!  We look forward to spring-like weather after this weekend of possible May snow flurries!  The rain and cold have matched my mood the last couple of weeks, and I am determined to pull myself out of my feeling sorry for me mode.

I guess we all have those things that come, and we see them and don't let them bother us.  But sometimes things come in a flurry and knock us down; and then the least little thing becomes too big to handle for the day or week or month.  Andrew tells me (no offense!) that I am too sensitive.  He says it in a sweet but  knowing way.  And one of the sins Pete mentioned in his sermon Sunday was worry.  And he knows I have been so guilty of that lately.  But he also says he knows how hard I have been fighting it and to keep on.

So I decided that since most of April I did not feel well, I would try to get a change of scenery soon.  Because I need it and because I need the boost.  I felt really run down and ran through most days and tried to rest when I could, so I would be able to keep up.  And I remembered a friend who did the very same thing for years.  And it was hard to know your whole life revolved around trying to keep up the best you could, while feeling as if you were losing ground more and more.  And now that I feel better, I can be out of that loop.

When last Friday rolled around, we had already had a couple of tough weeks with Andrew - he was tired and fighting an infection.  We'd been trying to get him well and back on track, and he was doing better.  But we knew his thyroid was off (had just found out), and Carla had sent the labs to his newer doctor in Winston.  Andrew was planning on manning the water station at our half-way point at our road race the next day on the Greenway.  Paula and I were doing early packet pick up at the Greenway and had gone to her mom's to get Andrew's water station supplies.  When we got into her car to go back to the Greenway, Sam called and calmly told me I needed to come home.  He said, "Andrew is having a seizure, so you need to come home."  I asked where his dad was, and he said that he was on the phone with 911.  I knew it was bad if Pete called 911.

Paula rushed me to my car, and I jumped in and took off with my flashers on.  I was being very careful, even though I was frantic because I could not get Sam back on the phone.  We had already prayed for Andrew, and I kept praying and put on some praise music.  As I came down the road from the Greenway, a car pulled out from the swim complex; and an SUV pulled up to pull out.  I beeped my horn slightly, so they would notice I had my flashers on and was in a hurry.  They pulled out right in front of me anyway and hit their brakes a few times in a short amount of time.

Now, I know those people were probably coming from swimming and had children in the car.  And they could pull out in front of me if they wanted to.  And they could hit their brakes and slow me down more.  I just wish they had had some compassion.  I was not doing anything wrong or running up on them.  It's that power trip that a lot of people have driving.  And I think it's just the by product of our society now - that if we can do it and want to, we can.  No matter what.  Who cares about anyone else.  God helped me see a straight shot through a parking lot before we pulled out onto the next road, and I took it and was able to save a little bit of time. 

My friend is a fireman, and he told me once that if I drove on the road with my flashers that people were MORE likely to pull in front of me.  And he has been right.  Another time, I tried to get to the old high school where Andrew had pretty much collapsed while running in the infield, and a car saw me and pulled out in front of me from the gas station.  Because he could.  And it has happened a couple of other times, and I have not driven with my flashers on many times!  I have watched cars not pull over for fire or ambulance.  And it is appalling to me!  I cannot do anything about it but make a way when it's my turn.  And I just have to work around them when trying to get to my person who may need me.  Just something to think about if you see someone in a hurry.  Maybe they are just rude, or maybe they are on their way to an emergency?

I drove down my road and saw the ambulance and fire truck in front of my house.  I pulled in at the lower part and ran up through the yard to the front door.  Andrew was lying in the floor with oxygen and four people working on him.  He was able to smile at me and tell me he was doing better.  So I could breathe again.  I just hate seizures so much.

One young fireman was holding Andrew's hand.  I noticed he kept holding Andrew's hand, because Andrew had a grip on him and did not realize it.  I was there when the fireman got ready to stand up and gently undid Andrew's fingers from his own.  So Andrew still did not notice.  It just showed the kindness and compassion of this emergency worker.

We decided that Andrew felt okay and did not send him to the hospital.  He was exhausted, and we called our doctors to check on one thing.  My mind always tries to figure out what is different and may have caused him to be susceptible to a seizure. 

Pete had called 911, because Andrew stopped breathing.  Then Andrew went into a second seizure and was still too locked up to have any emergency meds that we have.  I was not there to help, so he had to ask them to come on.  It is too tough to call 911 and try to keep him turned on his side and try to get him breathing or give him his meds when you are by yourself.

Sam ran and got Andrew's emergency meds without Pete even asking.  He corralled the dogs in the back yard and called me.  He even flagged down the ambulance.  He was a much better helper than his mother who literally freaks out.  So we are very thankful for his calm, helpful little spirit.

Some of our faithful neighbors who check on us came by to check on Andrew.  The same ones who offer help and mow yards for others even when they are sick themselves.  We are thankful for them.  They drop what they are doing and offer to help.

Andrew slept in my bed in my spot and started another seizure at around 10:00.  Pete and I both were able to get the medicine in him before he got too bad.  It's just hard to wait for it to kick in and to see if it will kick in and help.  It was rough.  He was so exhausted.  But after that, we all slept, me on the couch but where I could hear.  And the next morning, he was feeling better but foggy.

This week, we found out that Andrew has gotten the generic of one important drug since December,  Carla suggested I check on that, and she was right..again.  That has been changed back to name brand.  We also added another seizure med to the two he already takes.  We have tried to get him to rest and get to a place where he can take his exams.  He has already gone to Bible study and run with his friends on the team.  Like I have said before, he bounces back, so we do too.

Pete is helping me look for my change of scenery, and sometimes it's stuff right under our noses.  I am thankful he takes it seriously and wants to help.  And I am thankful that walking more and reading my Bible more and praying even more are things that bring about a noticeable difference.  I know I cannot take care of these special charges if I cannot take care of myself!  And I am glad I don't long for long and faraway trips.  I just don't, so that helps too!  I would rather be at home near my favorite people.

Please continue to pray for Andrew.  The other boys can always use prayer, but they are doing well.  Peter broke his ankle and just got his cast off.  He is happy to be driving again and not be tied to our schedules! 

Thanks for all of the prayers!  We appreciate each and every one, because we know God hears each and every one!

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."  Jeremiah 33:3