Katie Playing Jr. High Softball

All Clear!

I've been so busy that I haven't taken the time to update the blog. Today we cancelled the appointment for the video EEG. The doctors told us that if Katie didn't have any symptoms over the weekend, that we should cancel. The weekend was clear of symptoms, so we cleared the appointment. Thanks again for all the prayers.

CT Scan Negative / Video EEG Questionable

Well, we are happy and confused all at the same time. The CT scan came back negative for any fluid build up - no pressure in the brain. That's really good news. Sandra talked with the neurologist's assistant today. She said that if Katie does not have any headaches, dizziness, or rapid eye movement between now and Monday, we are to call and cancel the video EEG. If she has not had any of these symptoms since last Sunday and Monday, it would be a long shot for her to have them during the 23 hour video EEG - and those symptoms are what they would look for.

If there are no symptoms, then we will decide how to pursue the eye problems if they reoccur. At that point we'll probably have her eyes checked.

So, for now we'll wait and see. I think the neurologist just wanted to make sure there were no problems related to the brain surgery first, to rule that out. I think that made us a little more nervous than maybe we should have been. However, as the neurologist said, its better to know for sure, than to be in doubt.

Thank you all for your prayers.

CT Scan and Possible Video EEG

Please see the previous post for details on events leading up to today.

Sandra called the neurologist today and left a message with his office about Katie. Within minutes, the head assistant to the doctor called Sandra back. Katie has a rush appointment tomorrow at Children's Hospital to have a CT scan. The immediate concern is that Katie may have a fluid build-up in her brain. This of course would not be good, to say the least. It is a possibility due to "foreign objects" being in her brain - post surgery.

After the CT scan, depending on what that shows, they want to schedule her for another 23 hour video EEG. This could very well take place this weekend. As I stated in the last post, the eye movement is an almost sure sign of seizure activity, but the possibility of fluid in the brain is scary and potentially very dangerous. We were told to keep a close watch on her tonight and that if there is any more eye movement like there was Sunday night, to take her to the hospital emergency immediately. Katie seems to not be aware of what her eyes are doing. All she knows is that her eyes have been bothering her. She says they have been doing "funny things" and feeling weird.

Please pray for Katie. When we tell her today about what she has to do, she is going to be very upset at first. Now that she's older and has experienced what she has in the past, she understands how it all works and knows it is very scary.

We'll update the journal as we get results and information. Thank you for praying!

Possible Concerns / Please Pray

Well it has been a while since I've posted anything on Katie's journal. For the most part she's been doing really well. The medication has seemed to be side-affect-free and Katie has been busy with school and church and just doing fine.

Well, last night while I was preaching, I looked over at Katie (she was sitting in the second row, off to my right) and she was rapidly moving her eyes left and right. I noticed her early on in the message and she was sitting there, paying attention, taking notes, etc. Then I noticed that she was just sitting still, making those rapid eye movements. At first it tickled me and I had to look away from her to keep myself from letting out a little burst of amusement. Then about 30 seconds later, I looked at her again and she was still doing it. I immediately felt a sense of panic come over me and without hesitation, I looked at her and said, "Are you okay?" I repeated myself because at first she didn't respond. She nodded her head, indicating that she was okay. I went on preaching.

I have since found out that while she was visiting with her grandma last Friday, she had done the same thing. Today, Katie experienced severe dizziness and headache at school. She came home from school and did her homework, but she was very run down. Tonight Sandra told me that Katie told her that in recent days she had caught herself doing it on more than one occasion.

Needless to say, Sandra and I are now concerned that something abnormal is going on. These are all signs of seizure activity. Sandra plans on calling and consulting with the neurologist tomorrow.

So, at first we thought it was just a little thing, but now we're wondering. Please keep Katie in your prayers. We will make updates as we find out some answers.

Thanks!

Doctor's Report / Another Year of Meds

We took Katie for her appointment with the Dr. on Wednesday. The V-EEG showed some spiking in the readings which showed slight potential for seizures. The doctor was reluctant to begin slowly taking Katie off the anti-seizure medication. So, Katie will continue to be on the meds for another year. We will schedule another V-EEG for sometime in the early part of summer of next year. It was kind of a disappointment but we trust the doctor that it is necessary for Katie to stay on the medication. Please continue to pray for her.

Home From VEEG

All three of us were awake by around 7:30 this morning. I stayed up most of the night, with a few moments of drifting off here and there. I think I stole about an hour all together the whole night. The EEG technicians told us they should have the recordings analyzed by next Wednesday. That's when Katie's appointment with the doctor is.

Katie did very well considering all she went through with the prep and being confined to her hospital bed the whole time. Of course it took a while to wash out all the sticky stuff from the electrical leads. We're tired. During the testing Katie attempted to play on the laptop, but it kept on interfering with the EEG. I think for the most part she was quite board the whole time.

2AM Update

Well it's about 2:15 a.m. and all is well. I've been doing pretty good at keeping my eyes open. For a while now I've been working on the laptop. I think by now it's making me a little tired. I found a couple new Bible study sights though. I've bookmarked them for future reference.

There have been a couple of nurses come in the room since about 12 midnight. The first one took vitals at around 12, then another one has come in a couple times to just check in. They are very nice to try to make the person awake as comfortable as possible. I don't know about you, but there is nothing comfortable about sleep deprivation. I'm doing ok though.

We're in the VMR

VMR = Video Monitoring Room

We've been in the room since 6:30 p.m. We arrived at Children's Hospital around 4:00 p.m. Michael and Grandma Miller stopped by and visited for a while.

Katie's head is all wrapped up and her hair-do is a little different than it was the last time. It's definitely different than it was when we arrived earlier today.

It seems quite different here this time, since we're not in the "uncertain mode". We know what to expect this time and it is much more at ease knowing why we're here, seeing we are post tumor. It was funny how the nurse has come in to check Katie's vitals. All that seems trivial this time. Like I told Katie, we're just here for a little ride. I forgot the camera card reader to upload pictures on the internet, so I'll upload them when we get home tomorrow; time permitting.

Katie is in good spirits; she's just making the best of the head wrap and wires. Sandra and I will be playing tag with the sleep thing. One of us has to be awake. We're really not expecting any abnormal activity on the monitor, but we have to monitor it just the same. I'll blog more tomorrow.

Video EEG Today

Today's the day we go up to Children's Hospital and do the video EEG. Well, Katie has it done. I told her this morning that at least she gets to sleep all night. Mom and dad have to take turns staying awake monitoring the monitor. That's ok though, we'll gladly do it.

We had a little skip of the heart beat when someone from the hospital called this week to remind us to take Katie off her medication for the test. We said, "No way!!!" The doctor told us she could stay on her meds during the testing. The lady called us back the next day to let us know that she had her information wrong. NO DUH! We knew that.

All in all, Katie is fine with all of this. We're packing up the toys to take with us so we will have stuff to do. I'll have the laptop so we can update the blog. However, there won't be much to update, we'll just have fun with it. Michael will stay at home. Grandma Miller will be staying the night at the house.

Hopefully after this test, we'll hear more about taking Katie off the meds. We'll just have to wait and see what the doctor says.