We got to Massanutten Resort about 7:00 pm and when we were walking inside our unit I looked at Henna and she had this side smile on her face that looked like she had palsy. This is the 4th time I've seen this side smile since her surgery. This is her new seizure. She is semi-coherent with almost a fearful look on her face. She can hear me when I speak to her. She doesn't fall and can move her limbs where before she would be limp. This seizure lasted about 15-20 seconds. It's better then her other seizures but naturally we are disappointed to see any seizure activity. When I asked her how she felt she told me it hurt and she pointed to her temple and forehead.
Sno adjusted to our unit well and played with Henna, Carter, and Jordan before bed. Today we're going tubing and then swimming. This week will be filled with the water park, go-karts, lots of swimming, the zip line, birds of prey show, sight seeing, and much more. There are a lot of deer up here and the kids have enjoyed watching them.
We took Sno into school last week to meet everyone. We walked the hallways and visited Henna's classroom. We took Sno's book bag and Henna's supplies into the classroom. Everyone is super excited to have Sno there. Sno's friend, Flash, will be helping his boy in the autistic class next door. Two 4 Paws dogs in the same school. Who would have thought??? The first week of school transportation will take Sno for a "test" run on the bus with no kids. Just to get her used to the sounds and the feel of the bus. The bus driver and aid came to our house to meet Sno. We answered questions they had and Sno was her rambunctious self. Everyone has been so accommodating and willing to Sno's time at school a success! We sure appreciate their help.
It looks like Henna's aid from last year may be assigned to work with her this year also. I'm happy about that because he worked with Henna on her reading and I want to keep her progressing. In high school they focus on vocational and living skills more than the academics. I'm going to work with my neighbor and Henna's teacher to keep her reading skills up. My neighbor has home schooled and is using her reading program with Henna. Henna's class goes out of the school 2-3 times a week into the community to learn about life. Inside the classroom they cook and also do projects around the school. Henna is going to love it!
More of Henna's Journey to come....
A MIRACLE!
Henna was 2 years old when she was admitted to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. She had been thrown against a concrete wall by her biological father for crying too long. She had two depressed skull fractures, old blood on the brain from previous abuse, a lacerated liver, collapsed lung, suspected sexual abuse, and shaken baby syndrome. Henna coded while on the way to the hospital via helicopter and was brought back to life only to go into surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. She was not expected to live through the night. Henna was in a coma for one month hanging on to life. Then the miracle happened! Henna woke up and was able to move all her limbs and speak, shocking all of the medical professionals. We took Henna into our home and shortly after her arrival she started having seizures.
Henna's journey continues as we try to control her seizures. She received the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) on Feb. 4, 2011 at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. The VNS will send an electrical impulse to Henna's brain every 3 minutes for 30 seconds to interrupt her seizures. Over two months we have increased the electrical current and we have seen no change in her seizure activity. It looks as though Henna is in the third of children who receive a VNS that sees no relief from the VNS. We are very disappointed! We have started her on a new medication in addition to her current medications. Maybe it will help.
Henna's journey continues as we try to control her seizures. She received the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) on Feb. 4, 2011 at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. The VNS will send an electrical impulse to Henna's brain every 3 minutes for 30 seconds to interrupt her seizures. Over two months we have increased the electrical current and we have seen no change in her seizure activity. It looks as though Henna is in the third of children who receive a VNS that sees no relief from the VNS. We are very disappointed! We have started her on a new medication in addition to her current medications. Maybe it will help.
On August 6th, 2012, Henna had a full corpus callosotomy. This surgery is for people who have generalized seizures with no focal point. The corpus callosum is a band of nerve fibers located deep in the brain that connects the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain. It helps the hemispheres share information, but it also contributes to the spread of seizure impulses from one side of the brain to the other. A corpus callosotomy is an operation that severs (cuts) the corpus callosum, interrupting the spread of seizures from hemisphere to hemisphere. Seizures generally do not completely stop after this procedure (they continue on the side of the brain in which they originate). However, the seizures usually become less severe, as they cannot spread to the opposite side of the brain.
Henna received a white Labradoodle, Leo, from 4 Paws for Ability in Oct. 2010. We sent 4 Paws 2 shirts a week to help train her dog. One shirt was when Henna had a seizure and they used it for her dog to smell the chemical change during her seizure. The other shirt was when Henna had NOT had a seizure. This helped her dog differentiate between the two scents. It's a fascinating process. We trained for 10 day in Ohio with Leo and a trainer before bringing Leo home.
Leo had been going to school with Henna but started to bark and growl at different people when they came into her classroom. We worked with Leo's barking and growling when people would knock on the door and for a while he seemed better. He is very protective at home also. He then barked and growled at some boys who came into Henna's classroom and had to be removed from school. The trainer at 4 Paws said that some dogs bond so closely with their child that they become protective. Leo took on Henna's classroom as another home and felt he had to protect her. Sadly, because of his aggressive behavior, Leo can no longer be a service dog. The trainer said Leo would behave lthat way with any child he bonded to. Just his nature. We will keep Leo as a pet. Leo LOVES being just a pet. He still alerts to Henna's seizures and lives to get his hot dog reward!
Henna now has Snoball, a beautiful Golden Retriever. Snoball was born June 3, 2011. She is so sweet and a bundle of energy! Sno is doing an excellent job alerting to Henna's seizures BEFORE she has them! She is alerting up to one hour before Henna has a seizure. Sno goes to school with Henna and proudly wears her school ID badge. Snoball will be a great seizure alert dog and will serve Henna well.
Please register your email address to receive her blogs and share with your friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment