Last Thursday Rachel had a seizure at school. It wasn't long, and didn't seem to bother her very much. I picked her up and she took a nap for an hour or so when she got home, and then she seemed more or less back to normal. Whatever "normal" is. I put her to bed an hour or two before we went to bed, but she got up when we were going to bed (which very rarely happens) and while I was tucking her back in bed I noticed a small wet spot on her pillow. It might have just been drool (not particularly normal for her), but it also might mean that she had another seizure (she always drools when she has a seizure). I don't think she slept well, so I kept her home on Friday to keep an eye on her. she seemed like she was fine, but was more tired than usual. She's been talking a lot more lately, and has been more interactive. With that usually comes a few more meltdowns (more than fair trade-off in my opinion). Friday night we went to a play her brother was in and she fell apart right before I took her in to sit down. I finally got her to calm down, and then she was fine. Saturday night we went to a Christmas party and she saw a friend she's known since she was 12, but hasn't seen for a long time. She smiled and talked with her and even called her by name! I have been enjoying her so much lately. I feel like I can almost have a conversation with her, and she's interested in things and excited. Sunday was an up and down day, but mostly up. She talked a lot about monsters and spiders, but she was mostly happy and interactive.
Sunday night as we were going to bed I heard her in her room and went in to check on her. She was sitting up and I think she was laughing. She kept saying "it's funny!" over and over, but I couldn't get her to look at me, and I could tell she wasn't really "there." Monday morning she just smiled quietly all while she was getting ready for school, but didn't talk and I had to do practically everything for her. I hoped she was just tired, but her teacher called from school and said that she seemed really confused all day, and wondered if she's always this way after a seizure. The answer to that is no. She does this sometimes, but I haven't been able to find a reason for it. Her abilities come and go, but even for her this is a dramatic change. She didn't hardly eat anything, and had to be fed or reminded to even eat what she did eat. This morning she was sitting up in bed when I went in to get her up, but I have no way of knowing how long she had been sitting there. She couldn't seem to figure out how to do anything. Even vocal prompts didn't help, and I had to physically help her do everything, so I decided to keep her home. For the last two hours she's just stared out the window, and I can't get her to say more than just a word or two, and not anything that really makes sense. She is rocking back and forth, which is unusual for her. If I call her name she will sit up straight, but then immediately goes back to rocking. Her face is a little bit flushed, but she doesn't have a fever. I'm taking her in to the doctor in just a bit to see if he can find anything obvious wrong with her. She doesn't always say anything when she's sick. I'm hoping we can figure something out soon. The silence and the vacant stare break my heart.
