Monday, September 29, 2008

No 21. No Jokes.

That doesn't mean "no 21" as in "number 21". That means, no 21 miles yesterday. And no jokes today either.

Life has a way to interrupt the laughter on occasion. The best laids plans and important long runs suddenly take a back seat.

After a day of sun, soccer tournaments, playing on the playground, running around with the neighborhood girls, my nearly 7 year old filly (birthday #7 Wednesday) went to bed like any other day Saturday night. By 10:30 PM she was still playing in the dark with her Care Bear teddy bears (we allow some weekend slippage of the "lights out" rule.) By 11:30 PM, Mrs. Nitmos and I headed to bed ourselves to prepare for the resumption of the soccer tournament bright and early the next day. The filly appeared to be resting quietly.

By 11:50 PM, as I was drifting into sleep, I was awakened by the scared yell from Mrs. Nitmos coming from my daughter's room. She had heard a noise and went to check it out.

My daughter was throwing up in her sleep. Though her eyes were open, she was not responding to any communication. Jaw clenched. After a few minutes frantically deciding what we should do, 9-1-1 was called. The ambulance arrived.

She was having a seizure. She has no history of seizure. No family history either.

It was a long night filled with tense moments, needles, tests, scans, and an overwhelming feeling of What The Heck Is Going On Here.

By morning, now in the pediatric ICU and still sleeping from the anti-seizure medication, an MRI and EEG were ordered. My daughter opened her eyes. She was still medicated but was making eye contact and responding to familiar voices.

Sunday afternoon was spent with the doctors analyzing all the information we knew about her, family history, and test results. In the end, the MRI and CT scans were, thankfully, normal. The only anomaly was the EEG (measuring brain wave activity). She appears to be susceptible to seizures with no known cause.

Life changes quickly and without warning. This was one bumpy ride.

My daughter is back home now. She has a ton of attitude...something I've expressed in this space below. It's back and in regular form. I'm not sure if the hospital voluntarily released her or if they were simply following her orders.

She will be on anti-seizure medication for the foreseeable future and, possibly, permanently.

I missed an important long run yesterday and couldn't care less. My filly is home and everything will start to return to normal.

The jokes and silliness will return to F.M.S soon. Long runs, short runs, fartlek runs, limbo runs will one again take center stage. Perhaps, even my weird preoccupation with llamas.

Run and live well everyone. I'll be back in a few days!

Happy trails.

81 comments:

C said...

Oh my god! So happy the filly is doing better. My thoughts are with you and your family today. Take care.

Maggs said...

Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear about daughter. That sounds terrifying. I hope everything turns out fine.

Stuart said...

Sending positive vibes to you all, glad to hear she's back home and in full dictator mode....long may it continue!

Be safe.

Marcy said...

I'm really sorry to hear about the kiddo. I am glad that she's "ok" and now home. I can ONLY imagine how terrifying that must have been :-( (((HUGS))) to you and the fam.

Aron said...

i am so sorry nitmos!!! thoughts and prayers are with the nitmos family... glad she is home and doing well now but i can't even imagine how scary that was.

Wendy said...

Oh my! Hopefully that was her first and last seizure. That must have been beyond frightening.

Ax said...

Wow Nitmos. I'm so glad to hear everything turned out ok and is getting back to normal. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Jess said...

I'm so glad to hear things are OK now. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

The Laminator said...

Wow...life has a way of sneaking up on you that makes you realize what's truly important.

As one who works on the other side of the doctor-patient relationship, I can empathize with your anxiety.

I know it doesn't mean much, but the fact that MRI/EEG are normal is a good thing, and there's a good chance she won't have further episodes.

Regards to your filly and your family.

MissAllycat said...

Wow, Nitmos, scary stuff. You and your family is in my thoughts!

Teacher Pursuits said...

Holy smokes. Very sorry that your weekend turned out as such but glad to hear she is back in attitude action. :)

Phil said...

I'm glad everything seems to be under control. Take care of your daughter. Don't worry about running - it's just a hobby.

Topher said...

I certainly echo everyone's concerns and well-wishes. Nothing tears your heart out more than to see your children suffer.

Aileen said...

Goodness...your daughter and family are in my prayers.

Unknown said...

Thoughts and prayers for your whole family. I'm glad to hear that she is back home and doing well.

tfh said...

Hope your little filly is feeling better this week and the episode has no greater future effect than to assure she is properly spoiled beyond the usual on her bday. And hope that her parents are recovering as well. I imagine that provided more heart-pounding for you both than a 21 mile run. Take care.

Tall Girl Running said...

God bless you, friend.

Marathon Maritza said...

I am so glad to hear your daughter is back home and doing better. I'm sending you all the good vibes I can muster!

And don't worry about the long run, you'll still kick butt.

Viv said...

Ohh Nitmos what a scary time for you an the Mrs. I am glad she is back home and they have placed her on a medication plan. I will keep you and your family in my prayers and thoughts.

Vava said...

All the best to your daughter and entire family. What a scary scary thing for you guys to go through. I hope that everything is OK and know how you must feel. Last winter my younger son, in the middle of the night, stopped breathing and we went through a similar thing. He's ok now, and I hope your daughter never has to suffer again.

Sun Runner said...

As the bad insurance ad campaign says, "Life comes at you fast." It sure does sometimes, and even those things which have resided at the top of our heap of priorities are quickly relegated to the bottom. I've never even met you but am relieved to hear all is well and will hopefully continue to be well. Kids are amazing...they bounce back so fast from things that would make an adult want to lie moaning on the couch for a week. ((hugs))

Nat said...

Nothing more frightening than sick children...
Thinking of you all.

Unknown said...

It sounds like you already have the right attitude. You and your family are in our prayers.

Midwest said...

Oh, Nitmos, I'm so sorry about the filly. You must have been terrified. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Spike said...

I thankful your daughter is doing better and recovering. I'm glad the test results were negative. Nothing is more important than family, and I'm glad to hear she is home and recovering . . . which I understand to mean that she will be making demands shortly.

Razz said...

wow. glad to hear she's OK. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!

Lily on the Road said...

Sending love and prayers from Ottawa, please know your filly & the rest of the "Family Nitmos" are in my thoughts at this time....

Hugs your kids everyday!!!

*hugs* to you all.

joyRuN said...

That's good that the filly attitude is back - our thoughts & prayers are with you!

american girl said...

Hey i just wanted to say that i'm so glad your daughter is okay. i can't imagine how terrifying that would be. best wishes, elle.

Charlotte said...

Oh my. I am so sorry to hear about your daughter's seizure. It must have been just heart-stopping for both you and your wife. Nothing is more scary than having a child in the hospital! My heart is with you all. Here's hoping that was the last seizure she'll ever have!

Kristina said...

Good god, I'm glad she's okay. This puts our nationally shitty Monday in perspective in a quick way. Sending you good e-vibes and directing you to buy the filly a hot fudge sundae. Or a pony.

Marci said...

I hope everything is OK with your daughter. Take care, and sending get well wishes to your daughter.

Turi Becker said...

Wow, that twisted my stomach reading about your night. Then a warm rush from all the good thoughts, comments and love headed your way. More from here...

Run For Life said...

I'm sorry about your family's crappy weekend but glad to hear she's home and seems to be doing well.

PinkAsphaltMama said...

Fillies are tough and resilient, and before you know it, you'll be sitting around telling your grandbabies heart-pounding stories about their mom.

Love & hugs from the colt household!

S said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your little filly! Glad to hear she's doing better!

Anonymous said...

Wow - scary stuff. Your filly sounds tough as nails, though, and I'm sure those cowardly seizures won't dare to rear their ugly heads again. I wish you all well.

Sarah said...

Super scary! Glad she's OK. Thanks for sharing. . .

chia said...

So glad she's home... that's one tough cookie you have there. I hope you, little miss, and the misses misses never have to endure that like ever again.

Unknown said...

Oh Nitmos, as someone who's married to an epileptic, I know how scary seizures can be. But it must be doubly (triply? quadruply?) scary to see your daughter go through it. My thoughts are with you and and your family.

Anonymous said...

As someone who is married to someone who is married to an epileptic (definition: "We don't have any idea why you flop around like that") I've seen the terror on peoples' faces when I wake up someplace odd with a bit tongue and a splitting headache, and frankly I'll take the seizures over having to watch someone you love have them. At least when you're the one seizing, you have no idea what's going on.

The good news, though, is that anti-seizure medicines are pretty good these days, and in most cases they can be controlled. Also, the longer she's seizure-free, the less and less likely it will become over time. My favorite cocktail is Dilantin over the rocks, which has a side effect of making me dizzy, but being a blond, that's expected anyway.

I also have a collection of noggin-scans with little bit circled and annotated with "check in 6 mo." on them. Waiting to see if anything has changed in the next scan is terrifying.

My heart goes out to you. Heck, if I could do the seizing for her I'd offer to do so. (It's a fabulous isometric workout, once you get past the searing headaches!)

Stay strong and keep your sense of humor, because your filly needs her funny daddy more than ever!

Meg said...

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter and I'm glad she's okay. My brother had a couple seizures last year and I know from what he and my parents went through that it's a tough and scary night in the hospital. Best wishes to your family and I hope that you don't have to go through that again.

Jennifer Burgett said...

Your family is in my thoughts and prayers. Nothing is more important than your children!

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

My heart goes out (after a short stop in my mouth) to any parent who is forced to endure a scare like this. I have an 8-year-old boy - headstrong, too - and I know that something like what you just went through would make me totally freak. Afterwards, of course. You don't have the luxury of freaking out during the crisis.

It does put things in perspective, though. But, geez, there's gotta be a better way to gain perspective than this.

I hope all is well, and stays well, for you and your family.

Tyger Lily said...

Prayers from NM coming your way! I'm so glad your filly is doing better and back in control again!

Don't know if I have ever commented before but I have been lurking for a while!

Russ said...

My thoughts are with you oh verbose one. Your note reminded me again why I made the right decision tonight when I had the choice between staying home and catching up on work or going to watch son participate in cat herding....errr....floor hockey.

Cindy said...

i'm glad things are okay and that your daughter is back home with you!

angie said...

I had to come out of lurking to say that I'm so glad your daughter is ok. I cannot even imagine how terrifying that must have been. We'll definitely forgive the slippage on the 21 for this.

While I'm not lurking, I also want to tell you how inspiring you are to me. I'm working on becoming a runner, even though I'm still hauling around about 100 extra pounds. I'm not setting and landspeed records, but I'm out there trying. I hope that as the pounds go down, the time/endurance goes up. I live vicarously through your runs and imagine what it will be like when I am finally able to do what you do. Ok, enough sappiness...back to the humor!

PS - I'll be keeping daughter and your family in my thoughts and hope that the seizures go away.

Paul said...

Our thoughts are with you. We hope tests will find something avoidable and/or treatable to make this a one time occurence.

Unknown said...

Your daughter will be in our prayers for awhile. Glad to hear she is doing better!

Anonymous said...

Positive thoughts to you and yours. She's lucky to have as concerned and caring a family as she does, and I hope all works out.

Ms. V. said...

You know, Nitmos? I was just thinking today...of all the bloglines that I'm seeing today, there is no Nitmos. Hope everything is okay.

I started reading your post, and got chills. Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping faster than watching your kid in pain.

You're a good Dad. I'm sure you were scared to death, and thank God you made it through the weekend.

Judging by these posts, you are well loved in the running community.

To hell with a 21er. Your babe is out of the woods. Time to break out the Nancy Drew read-a-thon. She'll never forget it!

Prayers from California...
Linda

Kitzzy said...

wow, that is scary. I am glad to hear everything turned out ok.

KimsRunning said...

There's nothing that puts your "list" back in "most important" order than a sick child. I'm glad your daughter is back home now. Our oldest had a liver transplant when she was a year old. Crazy time, but ever since then my motto is "Everything Is Relative". You never forget the fear and it's been 22 years now.

Hugs to your family

Ian said...

Wow, that's a rough weekend. I'm glad your daughter is back home and doing well. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Ann said...

Your daughter and family are in my thoughts and prayers!

Melanie said...

I'm so glad that your daughter is ok!

Adam Dunn said...

I'm happy to hear you and your family are doing well. My thoughts are with you all, and I hope this quickly fades to a distant memory.

Brianna said...

Those 21 miles will be there when the time is right. Besides, I'm sure your heart ran those miles without your legs while you were taking care of your daughter. I can only imagine how it was racing as you made the 911 call and waited for the test results.

My prayers are with your family as you work through this big adjustment to your reality.

B. Kramer said...

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. It's good to hear she's home and better. That is indeed scary stuff. Best wishes.

Pokey said...

Your post literally gave me the chills....I am so sorry your poor little gal had to go through all of this. Thinking of you all....

thebets said...

Wow! That must have been so scary for you guys. I'm so glad that she is doing better. Keep us posted on her!

audgepodge said...

I'm so sorry to hear what you and your family have been through - I hope your filly continues to be OK. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts.

Anonymous said...

I am glad that your filly is home safe and sound. Tell her to keep that attitude - it will help her survive times like these! =)

My thoughts are with you.

soxfankam said...

Had to come out of my lurking to wish you and your family all the best. The hair on my arms stood up as I read the account of your daughter's seizure. It sounds like your girl is quite the little fighter, though. She'll certainly recover from all this much easier than you and Mrs. Nitmos. Take care of yourself and the family, and keep the great posts coming!

Unknown said...

Listen my friend... I do not wish upon anyone like you to go through this. It is truly frightening. My thoughts and prayer are with you and your family. My youngest daughter has history of seizure since birth. She is still and will always be on medication. She has been free of seizure for 16 months. Keep this in mind, children with seizure can be treated by medications. As long as the doctor can find the right key to the right door, your kid will do well. I am very confident that she will do well. She may even outgrown it. Stay strong! We are all here to support you and your family.

Sbanfnyc said...

I have frequently said, you can build a bridge, run a company or build a rocket to the moon, but there is nothing harder than raising a child. Every day brings a new challenge. You and your wife did a great job. Don't be scared. Been there and done that.

Aka Alice said...

Echoing everyone...glad she's ok...and you're a good dad (llamas and all)

Al's CL Reviews said...

Glad your filly is ok.
Sending Good Vibes to you and your family.

E said...

Glad she is home and OK. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Karen said...

How frightening, glad everything turned out OK. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Unknown said...

wow.

life has a way of slapping us around sometimes. sorry to hear about your traumatic weekend. more importantly, i'm glad she's okay. hope the seizure thing can at least be understood; maybe there is something you can do to prevent them.

Kevin said...

Wow.

That is scary. I am glad to hear she is home and doing ok now.

Unknown said...

So good......

Eric Gervase said...

Wow... I had no idea. Crazy. It sounds like all is under control. Very happy to hear that!!

Arron said...

very scary indeed. you handled it well. sometimes there are no explanations for the test that is life. good luck.

Anonymous said...

cant believe I missed this one.

you are in my prayers...even now that it's resolved.

Carla

Scott said...

Scary stuff! Glad she's back home and ok. Man, something like that certainly does make you realize how quickly something can happen in life.

RunToTheFinish said...

Just back from my trip and catching up on reading... so sorry to hear your family had to go through anything like this! Good to know she is home now though.

Michelle said...

hi i'm sorry i missed this!!! I am so glad your filly is home and feeling better!!! What a scary thing to have to go through!!!

Good luck with your running dude!!!

Laura said...

Best wishes! I hope it turns out to be something identifiable and temporary.