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Aftermath

Monday, August 15, 2005 11:19 PM CDT

Thanks for all the prayers. The seizure was a very small one, and my mom and dad were here. Thank the Lord my dad is a trained EMT. Dave was in the best hands. I was at work. My mom called, and she was handling it well and really calm. Later I told Dave that if he wanted me to stay home, he should just ask, he didn't have to cause such a commotion! By the time I got to him, he was alert and responsive, without any meds on board at all.

My mom and dad have been the absolute best, they have given up their own lives in totality to be here for us. They have taken care of everything, and have let me have my wild, crazy bursts of painting, etc. I couldn't ask for more. And they've been so understanding and supportive, whatever my mood or state of mind. They never scold or lecture or tell me what I "ought" to be doing. They are so amazing to trust that I have a sense of what needs to happen, even if it seems whacko to them. They know how ;much I need that illusion of control. We've had lots of help....Dave's dad has helped with the house so much, mowing the lawn and putting in floor. Judy has come by to help with laundry and dishes. Jeffrey has come to visit, Mike has helped with transporting, Mindy has rubbed feet and taken the kids (Bob, too...the kids, not the feet.) Deb took Kate today so she could have a break and relax a little. Ted & Maribeth took Z on their family vacation to Idaho, Z called, he's having a blast. We're so lucky to have so many people. Thanks for dinner, by the way, Cindy. And Amy, thanks for coming by, Dave wasn't' very talkative that day, but his eyes followed you everywhere....you were his little girl, even before Kate, and he's always had a special place for you. Alex was there on the other end of the phone while I was at the hospital, and Erik was there for me on the way there, and Evy afterward. Couldn't do it without you guys!

We elected to take him to the hospital anyway, just in case and to get his levels checked. As I suspected, his tegretol level was low. Those pills are designed to dissolve over a long period of time, so anytime there is vomiting, the patient doesn't get the full benefit. He's also been choking on the size of the 400 mg tabs. All other blood work was great.

They tried giving him the suspension (liquid) tegretol, but it's only 100 mg/ml (teaspoon) so he had to drink 8 tsp. It was icky, and it came right back up! So we tried the 200 mg tabs, they are much smaller. They went in and stayed in. He's been keeping them in the last two days, since the IV decadron, but his levels must have already been plummeting from the vomiting before, so they called this a break-through seizure. Dave is allergic to the meds that they can give IV for seizures, so IV is not an option. They did give us an emergency med in case he has another seizure before his levels get stable again.

He's been keeping the oral decadron and everything else in the last two days, so that's good. He's tired from the seizure, but is still quite himself, and actually talking a lot more these last few days, much more than last week. Voice is stronger, too.

And he's a little snippy and feisty, which is good to see. He made some more jokes in the ER.

We tried thickening his water tonight, but that was a disaster. Right now, the best bet seems to be getting the small pills and giving them with applesauce. Amazing what happens when the meds stay in!

They also gave him 2 liters of fluid in the ER, so that was good, to make sure he's still hydrated, although this weekend he was eating pretty well. Well....better than before, still not putting away plates of food like the usual Dave, but better.

Ala Willy: How do you make a kleenex dance? Answer: You put a little boogie in it!

We love you all, thank you for your support and prayers.
Love, Shell

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