Telling Liz About Her Seizures

After Liz's last seizure, I struggled with how best to tell her about what was happening to her.  The last one hit just over a month ago. She'd been at school, and she was with her speech therapist when she quite suddenly fell out of her chair and began to have a seizure.  It was relatively quick, and it was finished before the nurse even had a chance to make it down there.  The Husband picked her up from school shortly afterwards. 

That night, Liz and I were talking about what had happened that day, and she was quite insistent that she had only passed out.  I explained to her as best as I could what happened, and I even showed her a little video.  I told her that what she has is called epilepsy, and that's why she takes so many medications in the morning and at night.  I thought she had gotten it until a few days later when we had to have the conversation all over again.

Fast forward to spring break two weeks ago.  I heard the most awful racket coming from behind the chair I was sitting in, and I got up to see what it could be.  It was one of our chihuahuas, and she was having a seizure.  She's actually had them for years, and they only really hit her about once or twice a year.  However, when they hit, it's a 20-30 minute ordeal.  Anyway, I quickly grabbed her, and held her carefully.  Her eyes were completely dialated, and if a dog could cry, then she would have been...tears were just pouring from her eyes.  The entire time this is happening, Liz is sitting on the couch, watching.  When our dog, Pumpkin, stopped seizing, she curled up in a ball on a blanket, and slept for hours.  Then, she was fine. 

Later, Liz comes to me, and she says, "Momma...when Pumpkin was shaking...is that what I have?  Is that epilepsy?" 

I said, "Yes, baby, that is exactly what you have."

She said, "OH!!  Well, that's not bad, especially since I have you to take care of me like you did her.  You did a good job, Mom!!"

And now, Liz gets it.  She understands her diagnosis, and why she takes her pills in the mornings and at night.  Sometimes she says, "Momma!  I didn't have epilepsy today!!  NO seizures!!"  It's so stinkin' cute when she says it.

So, thank you, Pumpkin the Epileptic Chihuahua!! Because of your medical condition, Liz now understands her diagnosis.