Happy weekend it was indeed. The ole adage, "no news is good news" is right on. LJ's EEG report was great. "The EEG was normal but there was a substantial amount of motion artifact." In English, all that means is that he was moving around a lot during the test so the results are not 100% positive. However, on the quieter portions of the recording there were no abnormalities. After waiting an entire week which seemed like cruel torture, this was the best, possible news to start our weekend. Thank you to everyone for your support and encouraging words. Next step is to figure out what he really was allergic to that caused his reaction. (Its a mystery because he didn't eat anything out of the ordinary). But that's a lot of blood tests and I'm not sure either of us are ready to jump right into that quite yet.
And to cap off the weekend of good things, I took my final for my teacher training on Saturday and there was a graduation ceremony yesterday for my fellow yoginis. I am officially an RYT- Registered Yoga Teacher! It's bittersweet. Emotionally, I feel excited and sad all at once. This confusion stems from the fact that I don't want to let go of the moments and experiences I had during teacher training. I feel so much more connected to myself. I became friends with 7 truly insightful, wonderful teachers.
Transitions are always hard yet I look forward to the beginning of a new stage in my life. I am truly grateful to all the great teachers I've studied with. I will always remember this time in my life fondly. Hhhmmm, now I'm off to figure out who I am as a teacher and where I see myself headed. Good stuff.
Showing posts with label EEG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EEG. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Pain in the Brain
On Tuesday morning, I received a call from LJ's wonderful teacher, Ms. Julia. She was concerned about him. My heart pounded. She is the most capable person you'd ever want to leave your child with so when she says something's not right it was/is alarming. Cue the worry.
LJ pointed persistently at his head to tell them his head hurt. He started voluntarily using his right hand for every task that was set forth refusing to use his preferred, more functional hand. And then during snack, LJ turned bright red. The teachers and therapists that were there, took him out of his chair and put him on the floor in a quieter area of the room. He was listless and confused. He could barely open his eyes and when they were squinting they could see the whites of his eyes were bright red and the pupils were very large. When I arrived at the school he was still really lethargic and disoriented. But for the most part he had recovered.
We visited the pediatrician and afterward went home (armed with referrals) where LJ napped for several hours. He really wasn't acting like himself the whole day.
There is a chance this episode was a seizure. Its also possible he had an allergic reaction to something. So we have an EEG scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the neurologist's office to see whether this was a fluke or whether there is additional seizure activity. We have an appointment on Monday with the pediatric opthalmologist since it was evident that LJ was feeling pressure behind his eyes.
All day yesterday, I had my phone attached to my hand...fearful of the chance that it could happen again. (That and then speaking to the dr and then insurance and then the scheduler). I am on it! Seizures aren't new to the scene; LJ had them right after birth. He used to take Phenobarb when we first were discharged from our initial hospital stay. But the seizures seemed to have stopped. All this to say, there's never a dull moment around here. Ugh!
LJ pointed persistently at his head to tell them his head hurt. He started voluntarily using his right hand for every task that was set forth refusing to use his preferred, more functional hand. And then during snack, LJ turned bright red. The teachers and therapists that were there, took him out of his chair and put him on the floor in a quieter area of the room. He was listless and confused. He could barely open his eyes and when they were squinting they could see the whites of his eyes were bright red and the pupils were very large. When I arrived at the school he was still really lethargic and disoriented. But for the most part he had recovered.
We visited the pediatrician and afterward went home (armed with referrals) where LJ napped for several hours. He really wasn't acting like himself the whole day.
There is a chance this episode was a seizure. Its also possible he had an allergic reaction to something. So we have an EEG scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the neurologist's office to see whether this was a fluke or whether there is additional seizure activity. We have an appointment on Monday with the pediatric opthalmologist since it was evident that LJ was feeling pressure behind his eyes.
All day yesterday, I had my phone attached to my hand...fearful of the chance that it could happen again. (That and then speaking to the dr and then insurance and then the scheduler). I am on it! Seizures aren't new to the scene; LJ had them right after birth. He used to take Phenobarb when we first were discharged from our initial hospital stay. But the seizures seemed to have stopped. All this to say, there's never a dull moment around here. Ugh!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Manic Monday
There was a lot going on today, some good, some not as good. Lewis was evaluated by a developmental pediatrician this morning. The Doctor was pleased with Lewis' alertness, he seems to be very interested in looking at faces and listening to voices. Lewis' eyes track well to the right, be he is still reluctant to turn his head or track to the left. The Doctor was also concerned with Lewis' hypertonicity (muscle stiffness) in the arms, legs and hips. She suggested an ultrasound of his hips and will follow up with Lewis in a couple of weeks to see how he is progressing.
On a more positive note, Lewis swallowed some milk for the first time today. The doctor and speech therapist suggested that he try 5 ml of milk in a bottle. Lewis coughed a little, but he did swallow some - he swallowed about 3 ml (half a teaspoon), but enough to prove he can swallow, it seems. The speech therapist will try again tomorrow. She may also order that a swallow study be performed to see whether he is protecting his airway adequately enough. It's a start.
There wasn't much time to celebrate that small victory. Shortly after the feeding success, the techs came to administer an EEG (measurement of brain electrical activity used by neurologists). They weren't particularly soothing or gentle and Lewis started in on a crying episode that lasted, on and off, for almost 3 hours. Jenn just couldn't get him to calm down, she eventually succeeded, but it was a long process.
The nurse says he slept for an hour or so and has been intermittently fussy since. It helps that you can walk around with him now - just have to take the IV pole that his milk pump lives on. They can't seem to find a reason for Lewis'unhappiness - everyone we ask has a different theory, ranging from gas to results of Lewis' injuries.
Tomorrow could be another fun one - our man is scheduled to be circumcised in the morning. They'll use a topical anesthetic, but no morphine - even the 'as needed' morphine doses were stopped for good today. Probably best to put the morphine behind us, but it won't make tomorrow any easier.
On a more positive note, Lewis swallowed some milk for the first time today. The doctor and speech therapist suggested that he try 5 ml of milk in a bottle. Lewis coughed a little, but he did swallow some - he swallowed about 3 ml (half a teaspoon), but enough to prove he can swallow, it seems. The speech therapist will try again tomorrow. She may also order that a swallow study be performed to see whether he is protecting his airway adequately enough. It's a start.
There wasn't much time to celebrate that small victory. Shortly after the feeding success, the techs came to administer an EEG (measurement of brain electrical activity used by neurologists). They weren't particularly soothing or gentle and Lewis started in on a crying episode that lasted, on and off, for almost 3 hours. Jenn just couldn't get him to calm down, she eventually succeeded, but it was a long process.
The nurse says he slept for an hour or so and has been intermittently fussy since. It helps that you can walk around with him now - just have to take the IV pole that his milk pump lives on. They can't seem to find a reason for Lewis'unhappiness - everyone we ask has a different theory, ranging from gas to results of Lewis' injuries.
Tomorrow could be another fun one - our man is scheduled to be circumcised in the morning. They'll use a topical anesthetic, but no morphine - even the 'as needed' morphine doses were stopped for good today. Probably best to put the morphine behind us, but it won't make tomorrow any easier.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
10.6 lb Romeo
Lewis had a solid day today. The physical therapist was pleased with his progress and he got in a walk with Jenn - he's still really enjoying the sling. When I visited, he made no secret of the fact that he preferred to be held by the nurse. He went from mild crying to full out tantrum on my watch. When he went back to a different nurse (who took pity on me), he calmed right down. For a couple of minutes. Lewis ended a 40 hour streak without a morphine dose around 6:30 tonight. His nurse had to change out part of his IV setup and he just couldn't get calmed down. Overall, though, he's doing quite well kicking the morphine. He's also really got quite a few of the nurses wrapped around his finger - seems he's being held every time we call.
Aside from that tantrum, Lewis did a lot of sleeping. Milk is up to 19 ml/h and going down okay. The docs have him scheduled for another MRI and EEG next week. He is done with one of the antibiotics, but they'll be doing a sonogram to make sure the abscess is all cleared up before taking him off the second one. No speech therapy today, but we didn't have much luck getting him interested in the dum-dums. Maybe he doesn't like orange. Root beer tomorrow?
Aside from that tantrum, Lewis did a lot of sleeping. Milk is up to 19 ml/h and going down okay. The docs have him scheduled for another MRI and EEG next week. He is done with one of the antibiotics, but they'll be doing a sonogram to make sure the abscess is all cleared up before taking him off the second one. No speech therapy today, but we didn't have much luck getting him interested in the dum-dums. Maybe he doesn't like orange. Root beer tomorrow?
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday, October 18 update
Jenn and Josh left the hospital at about 1:30 pm on Saturday. Overall, Lewis is doing well.
Feeding - Lewis is getting 20 ml of mom's milk every 3 hours through the naso-gastric tube, they will be increasing that, and he may be up to 25 ml tonight.
Respiratory - Lewis is still on the nasal tube (nasal cannula) at 5 liters, but he's breathing a bit more easily today. He's also getting some respiratory therapy (sort of like a vibrating chest massager) to help loosen up anything in his lungs.
Vision - A specialist checked out Lewis' eyes today, she said everything is in order and looks normal. With infants, they really can't tell any more than that until about 4 months of age, we're told, so this only means that they don't see anything unusual right now.
Neuro - The preliminary read of the 24 hour EEG showed no seizure activity, so they are starting to wean Lewis from the phenobarbitol (anti-seizure meds). This may help his sucking reflex, which is lacking right now, and is a concern for feeding without a tube.
Holding and Feeding the Baby! Jenn got to hold Lewis, while Josh fed him today (using a syringe through the tube). He generally seemed more active and alert while we were there.
Feeding - Lewis is getting 20 ml of mom's milk every 3 hours through the naso-gastric tube, they will be increasing that, and he may be up to 25 ml tonight.
Respiratory - Lewis is still on the nasal tube (nasal cannula) at 5 liters, but he's breathing a bit more easily today. He's also getting some respiratory therapy (sort of like a vibrating chest massager) to help loosen up anything in his lungs.
Vision - A specialist checked out Lewis' eyes today, she said everything is in order and looks normal. With infants, they really can't tell any more than that until about 4 months of age, we're told, so this only means that they don't see anything unusual right now.
Neuro - The preliminary read of the 24 hour EEG showed no seizure activity, so they are starting to wean Lewis from the phenobarbitol (anti-seizure meds). This may help his sucking reflex, which is lacking right now, and is a concern for feeding without a tube.
Holding and Feeding the Baby! Jenn got to hold Lewis, while Josh fed him today (using a syringe through the tube). He generally seemed more active and alert while we were there.
Holding Lewis
Here are some photos of Jenn and Josh holding baby Lewis on Friday, October 17th.
He is a beautiful baby! (according to his aunt Joanne!)
As of Friday afternoon:
Things are more or less the same as yesterday. That means no great progress has occurred, but no regress either.
Lewis is still breathing with the assistance of a nasal cannula (nasal tube) with ambient air. He's still having trouble with secretions (mucus and saliva), and is breathing faster than the doctors would like.
He's got better muscle tone (control of limbs) and "body posturing."
On Friday, the 24 hour EEG was removed, and we're hoping it will be read prior to the weekend, but the preliminary look by neurologist indicates no seizure activity. (good news) Also, the twitching (subtle seizures) has stopped.
Lewis' sucking reflex and gag reflex (both very important for normal feeding) are not as good as the doctor would like. As of Friday night, Lewis is receiving 15 mls of mom's milk every 4 hours (via a feeding tube). He's tolerating his food pretty well and is resting comfortably.
A big positive for everybody: Mom and Dad were both able to hold Lewis today.
He is a beautiful baby! (according to his aunt Joanne!)
As of Friday afternoon:
Things are more or less the same as yesterday. That means no great progress has occurred, but no regress either.
Lewis is still breathing with the assistance of a nasal cannula (nasal tube) with ambient air. He's still having trouble with secretions (mucus and saliva), and is breathing faster than the doctors would like.
He's got better muscle tone (control of limbs) and "body posturing."
On Friday, the 24 hour EEG was removed, and we're hoping it will be read prior to the weekend, but the preliminary look by neurologist indicates no seizure activity. (good news) Also, the twitching (subtle seizures) has stopped.
Lewis' sucking reflex and gag reflex (both very important for normal feeding) are not as good as the doctor would like. As of Friday night, Lewis is receiving 15 mls of mom's milk every 4 hours (via a feeding tube). He's tolerating his food pretty well and is resting comfortably.
A big positive for everybody: Mom and Dad were both able to hold Lewis today.
Friday, October 17, 2008
the background
Friday, October 17, 2008
This blog has been created in order to help all our friends and family keep up with what's going on with Josh and Jenn's new baby. Lewis Jack was born on Friday afternoon, October 10th. Unfortunately, after a pretty long labor, Jenn suffered a uterine rupture as she was being brought to the operating room at Arlington Hospital. Lewis was delivered by emergency c-section. He was 9 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long.
Jenn was very lucky; she is all sewn up and has an incision just as one would from a c-section but is doing fine. She was at Arlington Hospital until Tuesday morning recovering. Since Tuesday, she's been recovering at home, with frequent trips to see Lewis at the hospital.
When Lewis was born, he wasn’t breathing. Though his heart was beating, it isn’t clear how long his brain was without oxygen. He was initially treated in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Arlington. After a couple of hours, he was rushed to Georgetown Hospital's NICU. Georgetown has a special fully body cooling machine which is used in the treatment of brain insults to infants. This is a very new treatment that is not widely available. (After the fact, we learned that much of the pioneering work on this type of treatment occurred at Georgetown). Lewis also suffered seizures and was immediately put on anti-seizure medication (a sedative).
The full body cooling began Friday afternoon, within 4 hours of birth. The cooling process is designed to slow the brain’s metabolism, preventing secondary injuries which are caused by the loss of oxygen to the brain. The doctors brought Lewis’ body temperature down to 33.5 centigrade (about 92.3 degrees F) and held it there through Monday afternoon. During this time, Lewis was breathing with the aid of a ventilator. Multiple tests were performed to assess the function of his heart, kidneys, liver and lungs. In general they showed that those systems were getting stronger, moving towards normal. He did continue to shudder or twitch occasionally, it looked like he was just cold, but it also might have been what the doctors call ‘subtle seizures’.
On Monday, October 13th, the NICU team warmed Lewis back to normal body temperature, over a period of about 6 hours. He came through the process well, with no additional issues surfacing, but he continued to have occasional subtle seizures.
Since then, Lewis has had a short hour long EEG which seem to be fine and a longer one which has yet to be read. He went back on forth on breathing support – on and off ventilation twice, but by Thursday, he was breathing room air (no additional oxygen) with just a nasal tube providing some added pressure. He was still having a lot of trouble with what the doctors call “secretions” (saliva and mucus) that have to be suctioned pretty frequently. Lewis is still being medicated for seizures but moves his arms and legs, clasp onto fingers, responds to light appropriately.
The NICU is pretty strict about visiting. Only two visitors at any one time, and one of them must be a parent. Jenn and Josh have visited daily and since Thursday have been able to hold Lewis. Grandparents Didi and Bop (Judy and Hank) and Babu and Nanny (Raymond and Susan) have spent time with Lewis too.
Nate, Lewis' big brother, is doing ok, with lots of attention from grandparents, his Uncle Danny and Aunt Anne, and his regular nursery school and babysitting routines.
Updates to this blog will be done regularly while Lewis is still at the hospital. Joanne, Josh's older sister, (that's Auntie Joanne to Nate and Lewis!) will help with this. Please feel free to leave comments, positive thoughts, prayers, good vibes, and anything else you want to say to Jenn and Josh here.
Thank you for all the love, support, and care you've sent to Lewis and family this week. We are very grateful.
This blog has been created in order to help all our friends and family keep up with what's going on with Josh and Jenn's new baby. Lewis Jack was born on Friday afternoon, October 10th. Unfortunately, after a pretty long labor, Jenn suffered a uterine rupture as she was being brought to the operating room at Arlington Hospital. Lewis was delivered by emergency c-section. He was 9 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long.
Jenn was very lucky; she is all sewn up and has an incision just as one would from a c-section but is doing fine. She was at Arlington Hospital until Tuesday morning recovering. Since Tuesday, she's been recovering at home, with frequent trips to see Lewis at the hospital.
When Lewis was born, he wasn’t breathing. Though his heart was beating, it isn’t clear how long his brain was without oxygen. He was initially treated in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Arlington. After a couple of hours, he was rushed to Georgetown Hospital's NICU. Georgetown has a special fully body cooling machine which is used in the treatment of brain insults to infants. This is a very new treatment that is not widely available. (After the fact, we learned that much of the pioneering work on this type of treatment occurred at Georgetown). Lewis also suffered seizures and was immediately put on anti-seizure medication (a sedative).
The full body cooling began Friday afternoon, within 4 hours of birth. The cooling process is designed to slow the brain’s metabolism, preventing secondary injuries which are caused by the loss of oxygen to the brain. The doctors brought Lewis’ body temperature down to 33.5 centigrade (about 92.3 degrees F) and held it there through Monday afternoon. During this time, Lewis was breathing with the aid of a ventilator. Multiple tests were performed to assess the function of his heart, kidneys, liver and lungs. In general they showed that those systems were getting stronger, moving towards normal. He did continue to shudder or twitch occasionally, it looked like he was just cold, but it also might have been what the doctors call ‘subtle seizures’.
On Monday, October 13th, the NICU team warmed Lewis back to normal body temperature, over a period of about 6 hours. He came through the process well, with no additional issues surfacing, but he continued to have occasional subtle seizures.
Since then, Lewis has had a short hour long EEG which seem to be fine and a longer one which has yet to be read. He went back on forth on breathing support – on and off ventilation twice, but by Thursday, he was breathing room air (no additional oxygen) with just a nasal tube providing some added pressure. He was still having a lot of trouble with what the doctors call “secretions” (saliva and mucus) that have to be suctioned pretty frequently. Lewis is still being medicated for seizures but moves his arms and legs, clasp onto fingers, responds to light appropriately.
The NICU is pretty strict about visiting. Only two visitors at any one time, and one of them must be a parent. Jenn and Josh have visited daily and since Thursday have been able to hold Lewis. Grandparents Didi and Bop (Judy and Hank) and Babu and Nanny (Raymond and Susan) have spent time with Lewis too.
Nate, Lewis' big brother, is doing ok, with lots of attention from grandparents, his Uncle Danny and Aunt Anne, and his regular nursery school and babysitting routines.
Updates to this blog will be done regularly while Lewis is still at the hospital. Joanne, Josh's older sister, (that's Auntie Joanne to Nate and Lewis!) will help with this. Please feel free to leave comments, positive thoughts, prayers, good vibes, and anything else you want to say to Jenn and Josh here.
Thank you for all the love, support, and care you've sent to Lewis and family this week. We are very grateful.
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