Saturday, May 15, 2010

In Which We Build A Fence And Call An Ambulance.

Well, today was sort of a mixed bag.

On the up side, we got one fourth of our fence just about done; which is a lot considering that of the three of us working, only one of us actually knew what they were doing.  And that one person wasn't me.  We worked from nine in the morning until just before sundown.  While Jeremy and Jake (wisely) did not allow me to use any power tools other than an electric drill (which doesn't really count as a power tool in my opinion anyway because it's not nearly pointy or dangerous enough, and please do not send me links of people with electric drills lodged in their eyeballs to prove me wrong because I do not want to see them) I did get to spend a bit of time with a sledge hammer breaking up old cement.  I ended up relinquishing this job to Jeremy though, for a couple of reasons: the first being my pitiful arm strength, and the second being my penchant for singing chain gang songs while I was working.  So mostly I just shoveled wet cement, held boards and posts in place, and screwed things together. 

It probably won't be the prettiest fence in the world, but it's not falling down either, which is a big improvement over our previous fence.

We would have completed that entire side of the fence, as was the original plan, if not for a rather large intermission during the afternoon; which brings us to the down side of the day.  Connor had another seizure.  A six minute long seizure, in which there was not only mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but also Diastat administered and emergency personnel called.  Thankfully he started breathing again before they got here, so we were able to send them away, but it was not the most pleasant way to round out the evening-- especially since this comes just ten days after a major medication boost.

He's doing all right now; he's been asleep since about five in the evening.  No doubt he'll wake up at around five in the morning all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and that will be fun, I'm sure.  But it was certainly not a fun time this evening-- not to mention the fact that it did not improve our fence building speed, what with the rescue breathing and the ambulance and all.  I have no idea where the doctor will want to proceed from here, but we'll probably find out tomorrow. 

On the bright side, I did manage to not chop off a single one of my fingers during the fence building and the power-tool wielding and the ensuing excitement, which is what I expected we'd be calling an ambulance for if one was needed.  So that's a plus.  But I am pretty worn out, physically and emotionally. 

I think it's time for bed.

~Jess

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Jess, we were all hoping that the increase in meds would work for him. You all continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.
Just curious...I've heard something about dogs that are trained to spot seizures, even as they are just getting started. Have you considered the idea for Connor? I'm sure the cats would love the company. ;-)
Pam in Jax

jwg said...

Poor kid. Just out of curiosity...This is not the first time you have sent the ambulance folks away. I understand why, but do they mind? Do they ever give you a hard time?

Anonymous said...

Oh, God, Jess. I'm really happy that you didn't lose a finger but Connor....crap. What's happening here? This is such frightening news. I wish I lived closer so that I could bring over jars of frosting and we could obsess together until we fell into sugar-induced comas.
All kidding aside, I'm sorry about this latest batch of seizures. I wish I could do something other than pray.
-Julia O'C

xraevision said...

Oh darn, from the title, I thought this was going to be a funny post about you breaking a fingernail while building your fence. I'm so sorry to hear that Connor had another seizure and such a long one. I too was hoping that the med increase would be the solution. Thinking about you!

Niksmom said...

I'm sorry that Connor had such a long, awful seizure. (I'm sorry he has ANY seizures, but, you know what I mean, I hope!)

Pam in Jax has a good idea about the service dog...if Connor's not allergic to dogs?

Sending prayers and restful thoughts for you ALL.

littleterr said...

Love you, Miss Jess. Wish I were there to just hug you and hold Connor.

Laura said...

I am so sorry about the seizures. Thinking of you all. Aunt Laura

Geetha Srinivasan said...

Hello Jess
Its heartening to read about connor's seizure. My son Sripathi is also epileptic due to a genetic disorder. And there were several times we had called 911 and sent them away once Sripathi's vitals were normal.
Since Connor recently had a boost on his medication i believe the doctor would want to wait and decide. Though God brought us so far, he'll get us through all this.

On a lighter note...
I'm sending you an award that i had received from a loving friend.
Will be glad if you find the time to accept it on to your blog space.

Jess said...

Thanks, everybody.

Pam, we've looked into the possibility of getting a seizure dog for Connor. There are several issues involved, such as:

-- Most seizure response dog training facilities will only work with children above the age of 7 who are able to care for the animals themselves.
-- Those who do allow younger children typically charge around 20,000 dollars for a dog and their waiting lists are between 1-5 years.
-- There's no way to tell whether or not the dog will be able to "sense" seizures before it is paired with Connor; it doesn't seem to be a skill that can be trained in.

So I don't think a seizure dog is in the cards right now, but it was a good thought.

jwg, the EMTs we've met have always been MORE than happy to come check Connor out; I think they'd much rather leave a sad-but-stable four year old at our house than have to transport a four year old who's not breathing. Since Connor's diagnosis, we never call unless we have to use Diastat, and we've required transport twice. They tell us it's FAR better for us to call and have them not be needed than for us not to call until it's too late. All of the EMTs we've met have been extremely polite and are obviously very good at their jobs; we haven't had a single bad experience.

Julia, I would totally eat frosting with you. And because I was eating it with you, it would be the Frosting of Awesomeness. Thanks for dropping me a line-- that certainly helps!


~Jess

Jess said...

Michelle, I did get a mouthful of sawdust, and since the fence boards were cedar I smell like the inside of a closet. But no broken fingernails, I'm afraid. I'd take them over seizures any day.

I do know what you mean, Niksmom. Thanks.

And thank you, Mom and Aunt Laura. I will take a rain check on those hugs and claim them later.

Geetha, welcome. We'll just have to see what the doctor says-- judging by his response to the last eight or nine seizures I'm assuming he'll adjust Connor's medication, but we'll just have to see.

~Jess

 
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