Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Where did the SandMan go?

Yesterday, we went to see Jade's Pediatric Surgeon who put her g-tube in place. I was concerned that because she had such a huge growth spurt over the last 6 months, that maybe it was time for a new fitting. He deemed it perfect and off we went! Two hours in the car to and from for a 10 minute visit. It never ceases to amaze me :) I also questioned him about what to do about the amount of air in her belly, but venting her seems to be the only solution. She's getting enough nutrition to grow, so it is just something we have to alleviate for her.

I figured out why she's been having more seizure activity. She's got a horrific cold right now. I feel so bad for her because her poor little nose is all red and stuffy. We snuggled last night because I was afraid she would keep sneezing through the night and blow snot everywhere without anyone to clean her up! No sneezing and she slept a little better than I expected. Most of her awakenings were because of brief tonic seizures. So, we cuddled and kept each other company! I'm hoping she gets through this without it getting worse.

So, I think the Boogie Monster has scared the SandMan away for a while. What it would be like to have a full night's sleep again...

1 comment:

Brooklyn said...

Have you ever tried melatonin with her? We use the liquid version with Brooklyn and that has helped her a bit with falling asleep. The Zyrtec she is one for her cold seems to be helping her stay asleep. Just thought I would let you know what has helped us here in the Butler household.

Our peanut in a nutshell...

Hi everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog. My name is Jade and I am currently 8 years old. I have a big sister and a big brother whom I love very very much.

I have a very rare neurological disorder that isn't even named yet! It is a genetic mutation called CDKL5. It is considered a variant of Rett Syndrome and presently, I am only one of around 600 or so children in the world documented to have this mutation. Each child is unique in that his or her symptoms vary quite a bit. Unfortunately, I am one of those children who is affected much more severely than most of the kids.

Some of the problems I face include:

Reflux (in October 2006, I had surgery to have a Nissen Fundoplication done and to have a gastrostomy tube inserted for feedings). As of March 2012, I have a GJ tube for continuous feeds.

I am hypotonic - I have virtually no muscle tone and I find it difficult to even hold my head up on my own.

I have cortical vision impairment - my brain doesn't process the images it sees. Sometimes I see off to the side, sometimes, my vision is shuttered, sometimes I don't have any vision at all. The doctors and my Mom and Dad don't really know how or what I see because I can't tell them.

I cannot talk nor communicate with gestures.

I cannot walk, nor will I ever walk.

I grind my teeth. So much so, that some loosen during seizures.

I cannot grasp objects or use my hands for the simplest of tasks.

I cannot sit on my own. I can, however, sort of roll over from side to side.

I am choreoathetoid. I cannot control the jerky movements my arms and legs make.

I have life-threatening seizures every day. This is my greatest challenge.

So, now that you have gotten to know me, please feel free to take a stroll around my blog. Some of it you read may seem depressing, horrible, unfathomable, and downright crazy. But, this is my life.

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