Celebrating C

 

 

 

 

We were able to celebrate my first born's 14th birthday last week.  What a privilege it is to be his mother.  The day was extra special to me considering what we had experienced just 2 days prior.  It was not lost on me that this day could have been very very different. 

 

I took the kids to get flu shots at their pediatrician's office at 6pm last Thursday.  Since it was so late, we were about the only patients left along with several nurses.  C was the first to get his shot.  No tears, no problems.  Then the nurses proceeded to give the other 4 their shots.  No problems or concerns with any of the others either. 

 

We packed up from the exam room and headed towards the waiting room.  I stopped everyone and suggested we take a potty break before getting in the afternoon traffic jam.  I was busy with the littles when C approached me and said that he felt like he was going to be sick.  I immediately looked up and saw he was white as a ghost.  I told him to SIT, sit down right now here in this chair.  I grabbed his arm and put him in the chair.  One of the receptionists had heard him say that he was going to be sick, so she came around the corner with a bag for him.  At the same time, I was grabbing a trash can from the bathroom for him when the receptionist started freaking out and yelling.  I looked up to see my child in serious trouble.

 

I was right there with C as his eyes rolled back in his head, he lost consciousness, then started to seize.  I held his head firmly in my hands to keep him from banging it on the wall or chair.  His whole body stiffened and contracted over and over 3 or 4 times.  It was frightening and traumatic for all of us.  By this time there were about 5 nurses surrounding me as I held C's head in my hands, keeping him safe.  As sudden as it began, it ended...now with him limp in the chair. 

 

C suddenly opened his eyes and stared into mine.  He was terrified.  And frankly so was I. 

 

Keeping myself calm and composed was my job at that minute.  I had to let C know that he was OK and that everything was going to be fine.  I made sure that C did not see the fear in my eyes.  If C knew how scared I was, it would have made him hysterical.

 

He slowly came around and woke up completely.  The nurses gave him some Sprite and cool compresses and checked his vitals.  His blood pressure was normal and he came around to being alert and back to normal within a few minutes.  Once he was feeling better, and I had calmed all the littles down, we left the office assured that this was not a reaction to the shot itself.

 

You see this was not the first time I had witnessed an episode like this.  However, it was the first time I had to experience it with MY CHILD.  It was scary and frightening as a mother to see her child helpless and seizing. 

 

Apparently C has inherited this "condition" from his father. I have seen CJ do this several times over the past 19 years.  No matter how many times I have witnessed these episodes, they are all very scary.  I can vividly remember each and every one. 

 

Although the episodes themselves are not necessarily harmful, the fact that you pass out is the critical concern.  When your body simply drops out, you can do major damage to yourself if you hit something when you fall.  This family from our church knows this all to well:  http://www.my828.org/thoughts-on-18th-wedding-anniversary/.  The similarities of the way Veronica fell and suffered permanent brain damage, was not far from my thoughts that evening.  Veronica fell as she too was leaving the doctor's office.  Only difference was that fortunately C gave me a warning, and I was able to force him to sit down immediately in a chair before passing out.  He could have just as easily fell and cracked his head on something, just like Veronica did this very day 3 years ago.  Our lives could have been changed forever in an instant.

 

It was a teaching moment for C that I hope sticks with him forever.  He may not be able to control when he will pass out; however, he needs to understand the important of sitting down immediately whenever he gets that strange feeling again.  I told him that it didn't matter where he was at the time, in a store, in a classroom, on the toilet, wherever, but he MUST sit/lie down immediately when he gets the feeling again.  CJ has learned this as well over the years; however, he had to learn the hard way.  (CJ has passed out a number of times and even once it resulted in stitches on the back of his head.)  I just want C to know how very lucky he was this time around.  How very important it is to protect his head during one of these episodes.

 

So as you can see, this birthday was extra special for me.  I see him smiling and blowing out his candles, but in the back of my mind I know the day could have been very very different.  Please send an extra prayer up for Stephen and his family.  Their family has been forever changed.