A few days ago V and I took another trip to the St. Louis Children's Hospital/Washington University to meet with her neurologists/epitologist. It had been around six months since our last seizure scare and visit to the doc's but this trip wasn't due to any scare, luckily, this visit was just a check up. In fact, I had no concerns what so ever. It was nice!
There's not much to say really, which is a great thing to finally be able to say! Vada's last known and proven seizure was around the time she started the ACTH injections, which was around a year and a half ago. Since that time there have been many questionable moments, movements, and behaviors but thus far we(I) have been wrong and her seizures have been controlled. Again, another great thing to be able to say!
What this all means is that this coming August/September of 2012, will be her Vada's two year anniversary of being seizure free! A monumental moment to celebrate! It also means tapering time, something else to celebrate but also something that has a dropped another heavy anchor into the very pit of my stomach-- even my heart is bogged down with overwhelming concerns. I keep telling myself that this too is progress and progress, no matter how difficult to endure, is good.
Currently, Vada is on three medications to help keep her seizures under control. She is on Levetiracetam (Keppra), Valporic Acid and L-Carnitine (to offset ill side effects caused by the Valporic Acid. The first step is to taper or wean her off of the Keppa and both of her doctors agree that it is time. However, they both said that if i'm not ready then we can wait. I used the inallagy of a child not wanting to have a bandage removed because they know that it may hurt, therefore, usually, its done quickly. I then told Vada's doctors that I will never be fully ready to take this chance (I am just fine being in this comfort zone--thank you very much!), so like the bandage situation we just have to do it. Quickly, however, is not how her weaning will be done. I have been given a schedule that will slowly, over ten weeks, take her off of the Keppra.
After those ten weeks Vada will remain on the other two medications until we return for another check up in or around July 2012. If everything goes well, we will then begin to wean the remaining anti-seizure medications and by Aug./Sept. (her two year anniversary of being seizure free), she could be completely off of all seizure associated medications!
I have to keep telling myself, "one day at a time" and "slow and steady" but things are going beyond well. I pray that they continue to be so. Our lives have settled down considerably and things feel "normal". Its been nice. I don't want to go back to where we've been, I want us to keep moving forward but I guess even if we do have setbacks, that's exactly what we will do anyway..., move forward.
There's not much to say really, which is a great thing to finally be able to say! Vada's last known and proven seizure was around the time she started the ACTH injections, which was around a year and a half ago. Since that time there have been many questionable moments, movements, and behaviors but thus far we(I) have been wrong and her seizures have been controlled. Again, another great thing to be able to say!
What this all means is that this coming August/September of 2012, will be her Vada's two year anniversary of being seizure free! A monumental moment to celebrate! It also means tapering time, something else to celebrate but also something that has a dropped another heavy anchor into the very pit of my stomach-- even my heart is bogged down with overwhelming concerns. I keep telling myself that this too is progress and progress, no matter how difficult to endure, is good.
Currently, Vada is on three medications to help keep her seizures under control. She is on Levetiracetam (Keppra), Valporic Acid and L-Carnitine (to offset ill side effects caused by the Valporic Acid. The first step is to taper or wean her off of the Keppa and both of her doctors agree that it is time. However, they both said that if i'm not ready then we can wait. I used the inallagy of a child not wanting to have a bandage removed because they know that it may hurt, therefore, usually, its done quickly. I then told Vada's doctors that I will never be fully ready to take this chance (I am just fine being in this comfort zone--thank you very much!), so like the bandage situation we just have to do it. Quickly, however, is not how her weaning will be done. I have been given a schedule that will slowly, over ten weeks, take her off of the Keppra.
After those ten weeks Vada will remain on the other two medications until we return for another check up in or around July 2012. If everything goes well, we will then begin to wean the remaining anti-seizure medications and by Aug./Sept. (her two year anniversary of being seizure free), she could be completely off of all seizure associated medications!
I have to keep telling myself, "one day at a time" and "slow and steady" but things are going beyond well. I pray that they continue to be so. Our lives have settled down considerably and things feel "normal". Its been nice. I don't want to go back to where we've been, I want us to keep moving forward but I guess even if we do have setbacks, that's exactly what we will do anyway..., move forward.
3 comments:
Prayers, LOTS of Prayers.
Wait - are you from STL? How did I miss this? We've spent lots of time in all of our finer local hospitals but Children's has the best landscaping. RK & Braska are local too, of course. Playdate opportunities!
I had to write after reading Vada's story. My son also had WS/IS but not down syndrome. He was treated with ACTH which stopped the seizures. The pictures of Vada with her big cheeks take me back to that time. He was only treated with ACTH and not other seizure medicines. His seizures never returned and he is now a happy healthy 5th grader and his seizures are a distant memory. I pray that this will be true for Vada as well as you wean from the meds.
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