Curve Ball!

Abby woke up at 9AM today and the entire left side of her body was flexed and twitching and even her head was turned to the left. She couldn't focus her eyes on Kelly and she was even grabbing her left arm with her right hand in an effort to stop it from shaking. Abby was having a seizure. What? A Seizure? But aren't seizures quick? Abby's twitching was continuous and wouldn't stop. Kelly called me in tears to let me know what was going on, grabbed Eddie, still in his pj's, and headed to Abby's pediatrician. Yep - Abby was indeed having a seizure and Kelly was asked to bring Abby straight to the ER. They gave her Ativan which really helped. The left side of her body finally relaxed, and the twitching stopped. Needless to say, Abby was exhausted from the 2 and half hour long seizure. We were admitted to CHOC and were asked to stay the night.
So....WHY IS ABBY HAVING SEIZURES???? We know that it is common for Cerebral Palsy kids to have seizures, and we were happy that Abby was fortunate enough to escape these. So why now? Well, there are a couple of possibilities. The first thought that Kelly and I had was of course the worst possible scenario, which is that her shunt could be clogged and/or her CSF, Cerebral Spinal Fluid could be infected. Thankfully, after reviewing the CAT Scan that was done on Abby in the ER, the docs concluded that the shunt was not infected. In fact, Abby's neurologist said it the best CAT Scan he's seen on Abby yet. And when he took a sample of the CSF, it wasn't cloudy (which indicates infection) but instead it was nice and clear. We'll know for sure if the CSF is infected tomorrow (Thursday), but Abby's doc is saying there is a 99% chance that it is NOT infected.

This is all good news but we still don't know why Abby was seizing. Her neurologist said that it's possible that Abby was having a feveral seizure, which is a seizure caused because Abby is getting really sick. He's not sure on that though and will have more answers (hopefully) for us as time goes on. Sure enough though, Abby spiked a fever after we got to the ER and has been vomiting and dry heaving all day long. So tonight the goal is to pump Abby full of broad scope antibiotics in case the CSF is infected and we also need to curb all of her nausea and vomiting.

And of course, the million dollar question is...what does this mean for the surgery on Friday? It is most likely going to be postponed. Abby just cannot be sick during the surgery and since she's so sick right now, it's not likely she will get healthy enough for a surgery in two days.

So that's the curve ball. But with all the prayers and faith that Team Abby generates, I'm sure she'll get through it. She's our little Rockstar and she always pulls through. Abby's momma is also a rockstar. I showed up to the ER and didn't get a chance to see Abby twitching and seizing but that's got to be a scary sight for any parent to go through. And thank Goodness for Kelly's parents. Cindy and Cliff, you guys rock too. They have been by Kelly's side to help with Abby and Eddie since the appointment with the pediatrician this morning. Thanks guys! We love you!

Alright then my friends, this is your cue. You guys know what to do next.


Ryan