Reu 2

Reuben did set a new record yesterday.  He topped out at 12 seizures.  Three tonic clonic and 9 partial seizures.  The last two of each kind were especially troublesome to me.  His last T/C came as we were out taking a walk and for about 30 seconds he didn't want to walk, but kept standing still.  Soon enough as his legs started buckling underneath him I realized it was because the tonic part of the seizure was hitting.  I lowered him to the pavement and kept my hand under his face so it didn't scrape on the pavement and he twitched.  Typically these last less than a minute and he takes a deep breath and things get going again.  This one lasted closer to 2 minutes and his face was very splotchy and lips were losing some color and I was starting to wonder when it was going to stop and how I was going to call 911.  Thankfully it did stop, but he was so wiped out that he couldn't keep his eyes open or his head held up on his own for the next 30 minutes.

He did perk up enough to eat supper and then was very perky and not at all interested in going to bed at bedtime, but just sat or crawled out of his bed screaming for Mom.  At one point as Leah and I were trying to read together and watch Reu on his camera, he sat up and was clearly having a partial seizure.  This one lasted probably 4 or 5 minutes and his heart was racing and his teeth were chattering.  Again, I was wondering if this was going to stop or I would have to administer his "rescue" medication (that we have never had to use before) or call 911.  This was about 8:15 (4:15AM Bulgaria time) and I knew that Andrea should be awake, so I tried calling via facetime to Dondi's phone.  I partly just needed to talk with Andrea about what to do and partly that that Reu may calm down a little bit with getting to see Mom.  He was ecstatic and as soon as we were winding up the call where she told him that she was soon going to be getting on the plane to come home, he started pointing out the window (hard for him to grasp a 24 hr + travel time)

Andrea and I figured it would be a good idea to have something in place in case the seizures continued or worsened as the night went on, so I called Joel and asked him to keep his cell on all night so I could call him if I needed him to come and be at the house with the girls if I had to go with Reu to the ER.  After that call, Reu and I headed upstairs.  I figured for one night, I would just let him sleep in all night in our bed so that I could monitor him more closely and hopefully it would be more calming for him than going back in his own bed.  Thank you to those who were praying for Reu and for myself.  He fell asleep in about 15 minutes and slept fairly well the rest of the night and as far as I could tell did not have any seizures.  We will see what happens today!

Lord willing, Andrea and Owen and Krassi and Dondi should be landing in about 8 hours.  It will be so good to have them back home (or in K's case home for the first time).

Before trying to laying Reu down for bed the first time last night, I had been playing and singing some of my favorite hymns before bedtime and this is one of the ones I sang and was clinging to during the evening and night.

How Firm a Foundation:

1. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
   Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
   What more can He say than to you He hath said—
   To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2. “Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
   For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
   I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
   Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
3. “When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
   The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
   For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
   And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
4. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
   My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
   The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
   Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
5. “The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
   I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
   That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
   I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”