Friday, November 7, 2014

Brains Are Equally As Important As Boobs

*cough*  Um, hey there!

This space has been pretty dead for a lot of reasons, the main one being that we are just in the middle of surviving.  It is hard work.  Don't feel neglected though, you're not the only one!   I've been neglecting my hair, my church callings, friends, Fall baking (and we all know how important that is to me) and a host of other stuff....it's a group thing! ;)

I decided to clear the cobwebs and dust the old blog off though for something important.  It might take me three hours to write this post, since Cole is in his cycle and I can only write when he is resting in between seizures, but here it goes.

It can really bother me when I have people come up and tell me how glad they are that Cole is doing so great.  Huh?  What are you talking about?  Sometimes I just nod my head and say, "Yeah, it is great".  No one really wants to know that we have been to hell and back multiple times this year.  It's possibly my worst year ever; but, kind of like the tech who did my MRI yesterday said, "But you look like the picture of health!"  Yet here I am for yet another test! ;)  We need to work on our sick face, I guess.

It is obvious that these particular people only get their information from the snippets of this and that on Facebook.  Just because we haven't been in the hospital, doesn't mean things are going great.  It is because the hospital told us that they really can't help Cole any more.  That is our reality.  We just have our mobile Emergency Room here at the house with our team and equipment spread everywhere.  We batten down the hatches and hunker down whenever the bad days hit.  We have been occasionally having really good days, and we celebrate that, but the bad days would make even seasoned veterans shake in their boots.  Even we like talking about the good days more than the bad ones.  Not a lot of people can relate to having to watch their child shake and turn blue multiple times, among other things.  I'm glad for them, but it makes conversation difficult for some when they can't immediately find something in common.  It's uncomfortable.  So they just get what they can from those bits of social media and call it good.  Hey, we like to talk about the weather too!

Turns out, taking pictures of seizing children is really hard, who knew?


Now I love social media, especially Instagram.  It lets me see pictures of my nieces and nephews or friends that we live so far from, that is seems like a world away.  It is a way that my grandparents can see pictures of Cole, even though they have not seen him in person in 4 years.  It is also just a way for some people to stalk others and believe that they have the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  No matter how many "keeping it real" posts you do, no picture or status can explain everything about someone inside and out.  Nothing can compete with a sincere, genuine interest in someones life and that's what real friends are for, not just online acquaintances.  There is a place for both, but just because you follow someone on social media does not mean that you really know them.  I have actually had someone tell me to my face that, "The entire universe knows when Cole has a seizure.  It is all over the Internet!"  Wow.  Just.  Wow.  I was so shocked that I even came home and went through all of my posts of any kind.  I was questioning myself and wondered if it was really TMI as this person had been describing.  Not even 1/16th of anything that really happens to Cole makes it to "The Internet".  I didn't mention it once, during 346 convulsive seizures last month.  We consciously choose happiness, and choose to focus on the good.  Sometimes that is hard work, but we function better that way.  Being depressed can also be hard work.  Just because you don't see graphic posts doesn't mean that it is sunshine and rainbows around here.  I don't mean to be a downer, but this person obviously didn't choose to get to know us intimately and did not understand our day to day life.  That's okay!  Just don't make assumptions.  I don't assume that you are self absorbed if you post a picture of yourself, or if there are more than two posts in a day.  Or if everything looks perfect, then you must be deluding yourself that you are perfect.  Or if you go and have fun without me that we are no longer friends in real life.  Who makes up these secret rules anyway?  Maybe that is why I have really backed off on most social media.  It is a platform to automatically judge something or someone, with a picture or a sentence,  and I don't like that.  I'm going to keep my feed full of things that are important to me, because it is MY feed!  You should do the same.  I'm not going to stop being on Facebook, because that is where I connect with other Dravet and 4 Paws for Ability parents.  I get good information there, amongst the garbage.  I am just not sure when being real friends was replaced with pushing a like button.

No one wants to come up to me and automatically be my friend if they saw a picture of me floating around where I was covered in drool, holding a child that looked like he had been beaten up.  Most likely they would want to stay away, or call authorities.  I get that.  It's a side that I don't particularly like either, but it is real.  Most would prefer this.  Don't we look cute?

Take yesterday for instance.  Cole fell forward and hit his head on the wall as he started to have a seizure, even though I was right there and caught him.  I just happened to catch the bottom half as he went down.  Those red marks on his noggin are not blood, this time.  That's not just casual conversation that you can bring up anywhere.  It would make the majority of people feel unsettled if I came up and started describing the details of our day to day life.  So how much is too much information?  Where is the line between advocacy and emotional vomit?  I have seen some other parents just share too much, even for me-who tends to be an over sharer, according to some.

Now, why all the hype?  November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  Did you know that?  Are there people in your feed that are bringing awareness? Or is it just too much information?  How many people talked about Breast Cancer in October?  Wore pink?  Even professional sports teams, talk shows, the radio, bakeries, etc. participated-the promotion was every where.  Look, I am all for boobs...I have them, even if they are slight; and I have nothing against Breast Cancer.  In fact, I have someone that I care about who is fighting it right now.  It is a horrible, horrible thing to go through.  I just want to bring light to the fact that it is somehow easier to talk about boobs than brains.  Are people more comfortable with it because they know so many other people with breasts?

That doesn't make sense really, because there are more people will brains than breasts.  All people have brains, whether we tease about it or not.  No one on the Wizard of Oz was wishing that they had a great rack!  Some are more willing to talk about mastectomy's than the fact that my child will never have a chance a remission.  He doesn't have the options like chemotherapy or radiation.  He will have Dravet Syndrome forever.  He will never be a "survivor" in that sense where he is "free" from his illness.  It deserves just as much advocacy or more.  A body can live without boobs, but not without a brain.  Did you know that there are more deaths per year from Epilepsy than Breast Cancer?  More.  Foundations like this one have my respect but they are few.  We are lucky that we can have this roller coaster we are on remind us that the downs can make you feel like you are going to puke, but the ups are thrilling.  We try to focus on the ups.  If you are our friend in real life, via the Internet or even just an acquaintance who happened to stop by our site, maybe you could take a couple of moments this month and educate yourself a little about seizures, know as much about them that you do about Breast Cancer.  If talking about brains or seizures makes you feel unsettled, just look at a couple of websites, like CURE or Dravet Syndrome Foundation or American Epilepsy Society.  Or you can think about Cole.  It is easy, because he is pretty cute.  We are going to continue to be advocates, even if makes others feel uncomfortable.  It is important, to us.  In our world, it is not too much information.  It is the reason we started this blog.  To educate others and provide support.  I'm not promising that I will be writing frequently, but enough people came up to me at the Dravet conference and mentioned my blog that I know it is helping someone, some where.  Here is to hoping that we all can have more days like this one.  Outside, walking, talking, eating by mouth.  Things that we can easily take for granted, but for Cole they are a victory.

21 comments:

  1. Love this, love you! I love the strong voice that came through in this post. Telling it like it is. A little like your namesake...eh? Hugs to you and that darling boy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello everyone, I want to say a special thanks to Dr OGU. for helping me get cured from herpes virus 2019 , I contacted him base on the testimonies I saw about him on the internet i decided to give it a try i was in pains, I was cured too by his herbal medicine and Herbs, kindly contact him today through his email: drogugusolutionhome@gmail.com or text/call: +1 (719) 629 0982

      He’s waiting to help you.


      HE ALSO SPECIALIZE IN THE FOLLOWING Illness;

      If you have any sickness like : H I V/AIDS , CANCER , HERPES 1 or 2 , GENITAL WARTS (HPV), and Hepatitis B. Trichomoniasis Gonorrhea, Epilepsy, and Syphilis.

      Delete
  2. Oh Niki! Blessings to you and your family. You are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Am One of the happiest woman on earth since my son was cured from the problem of seizure,which he has been having for eight years now,he do have the attack two to three times a week,which is affecting is education and his life.i got the contact of a doctor from the post of one Mr paul thanking him for curing his seizure problem,i got the contact and contacted him then he made me to know that the medication is a permanent cure, and that was how i got the medication which i used on my son,and for six month now there have been no sign of seizure in him again.any one with such problem can contact him on his email drwilliams098765@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. WOW ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS I HAVE NEVER BELIEVE IN HERBAL REMEDIES.
    my son have been a patient of epilepsy . I had tried a lot of anti viral med prescribed to me by doctors over how many years now but I could not see any improvements in my son symptoms. One day while going through the internet , i got to know about this great Herbal Dr who uses his herbal remedies in curing people from epilepsy,quickly i contacted him and he prepared a herbal medication for my son which i received and he used it as instructed by dr williams. After few weeks the improvement were very visible. the sleepiness and the abnormal behavior stooped ,on thing now he is so full of life. I would recommend this to all my friends,families,around the globe suffering from epilepsy.you can contact him through his email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com.for advice and for his product THANKS TO YOU ONCE AGAIN DR WILLIAMS

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am Sophie from Canada, I once suffered from a terrible and Chronic epilepsy ,since i was bone , the doctor told me there was no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly go out of breath,and this illness was really terrible especially when am going out with my friends, i have this constant disorder for about 31 years, this was really a terrible illness ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs Kate on how his son was been cured from epilepsy through the help of Dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine i used it for 4 weeks as prescribed and i was totally cured of epilepsy within those week of usage,on thin now i have not experience any sign of seizure.if you need his help you can Contact this herbal doctor via his email drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help

    ReplyDelete
  6. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DON FOR MY FAMILY.This information will be useful for Epilepsy patients who is willing to use herbal medicine. My daughter had temporal lobe epilepsy, She had seizure and had a grand mal with rage episode. Our daughter's seizure is constant throughout the day. We had used several medicine which include: Epilim and Keppra, experience seizure control at the cost of serious debilitating side effects. It was during a casual conversation with a friend that I learned about herbal Dr. William,who uses herbal medicine in curing people from epilepsy,i was so glad to contact him on his email and make an order for his medication, it does not have any side effect. I am so glad to say that she has been seizure-free since July 2015 after taking William medicine. this a miracle cure?contact him for more detail (drwilliams098675@gmail.com) thanks once again admin for such an informative blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am Sophie from Canada, I once suffered from a terrible and Chronic epilepsy ,since i was bone , the doctor told me there was no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly go out of breath,and this illness was really terrible especially when am going out with my friends, i have this constant disorder for about 31 years, this was really a terrible illness ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs Kate on how his son was been cured from epilepsy through the help of Dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine i used it for 4 weeks as prescribed and i was totally cured of epilepsy within those week of usage,on thin now i have not experience any sign of seizure.if you need his help you can Contact this herbal doctor via his email drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help

    ReplyDelete
  8. My son started having seizures he had his first seizure at 6 year within 12 hours We spent 6 days in the hospital where different doctors looking at different things couldn’t agree on why he suffered a seizure… He has had genetic tests including a muscle biopsy. I used to wonder why my son were getting so many vaccinations shots at such a young age, Still the doctors wouldn’t admit it was the vaccination shots. After his 2nd seizure I wouldn’t allow my son to be vaccinated anymore but I believe the damage is done. It was during a casual conversation with a friend that I learned about Doctor Lawson Bryan i was so glad to know him on how his herbal product work, I contacted Lawson and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product. few days later i received the herbal medicine my son used it for 3 mouths i notice improvement in less than a month my son was totally cured of seizure now he have not experience any sign of seizure. Contact doctor Lawson Bryan on this + 1 (979) 475-5130 or e-mail dr.lawson52@gmail.com.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am Shelley from Los Angeles,California, I want to testify on how i got cured from seizure, I have suffered from seizure since the year 2011 with so mush anxiety ,that i have to spend so mush money getting pain relief in the hospital, and I have visited several doctor ,but all to no avail, my world was gradually coming to an end because of the fainting and muscle spasms , until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal Dr Williams who use herbal portion in curing people from different kind of diseases including seizure, at first i doubted if it we be able to cure my Generalised tonic-clonic seizure , but i decided to give it a try, when i contacted this herbal doctor via his email, he prepared a herbal portion and sent it to me via courier service, when i received this herbal medicine, he gave me step by step instructions on how to apply it, when i applied it as instructed, i was completely free from seizure just for 1 months of usage,i we recommend this to all my friend family in the world today who still suffering from seizure you can contact him through his email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help.

    ReplyDelete
  10. NATURAL & EFFECTIVE TREATMENT TO SEIZURE: Our son has temporal lobe epilepsy, He has seizure and had a grand mal with rage, Our son's seizure always occur twice in a week according to EEG results. We had used several medicine which include: 600 Epitol 100 Zarontin,
    150 Epitec X2 Daily, Topomax lasted for about 3 days, but I put an end to that due to my son losing weight and being lethargic. I recently got dr williams herbal medicine,that's a natural medicine that cure my son Epilepsy with no side effect. It is an herbal medicine. it is a permanent cure and effective treatment of Epilepsy, for more info, you can also contact Dr.William with this email drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and his product

    ReplyDelete
  11. "With Dr Williams,herbal medicine I felt very empowered after my son started his medication and the results came very quickly I might add. Contrary to what my doctor had recommended for my son, (that epilepsy have no permanent cure) I have succeeded in less than 4 weeks to treat all the symptoms associated with my son epilepsy (including the anxiety , and the abnormal behavior ) and within 4 weeks, my son epilepsy was completely gone. Thank you so much for this terrific publication. I also my son have recently experienced a symptom-free of headache , which was nothing short of remarkable, considering the awful state my son was in before I was introduced to dr williams life changing medication,for more information on how to get his medicine you can email him in drwilliam098675@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DON FOR MY FAMILY.This information will be useful for Epilepsy patients who is willing to use herbal medicine. My daughter had temporal lobe epilepsy, She had seizure and had a grand mal with rage episode. Our daughter's seizure is constant throughout the day. We had used several medicine which include: Epilim and Keppra, experience seizure control at the cost of serious debilitating side effects. It was during a casual conversation with a friend that I learned about herbal Dr. William,who uses herbal medicine in curing people from epilepsy,i was so glad to contact him on his email and make an order for his medication, it does not have any side effect. I am so glad to say that she has been seizure-free since July 2015 after taking William medicine. this a miracle cure?contact him for more detail (drwilliams098675@gmail.com) thanks once again admin for such an informative blog.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dr Williams,his medicine was extremely helpful to my daughter. I have had a daughter with epilepsy for 17 years now , and my doctor have prescribe me with different kinds of western drugs without no improvement in my daughter symptoms . I am so glad I have found Dr Williams medicine (as I was surfing the net for a solution and saw a recommendation for it on a women's health forum early this year). I have felt so empowered by the knowledge you have given me and I quickly self diagnosed the individual cause of my daughter epilepsy and armed with his clear instructions, I was finally able to beat this monster, in less than 4 weeks of using dr Williams medication on my daughter. she went for a checkup and it was clear that my daughter epilepsy were gone,you can also email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help.

    Thank you, thank you , thank you. dr williams

    ReplyDelete

  14. Nice post.
    Gabapentin price is to less at nestpillmart, so hurry up and buy best pain killer for nerves pain.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Am One of the happiest woman on earth since my son was cured from the problem of seizure,which he has been having for eight years now,he do have the attack two to three times a week,which is affecting is education and his life.i got the contact of a doctor from the post of one Mr paul thanking him for curing his seizure problem,i got the contact and contacted him then he made me to know that the medication is a permanent cure, and that was how i got the medication which i used on my son,and for six month now there have been no sign of seizure in him again.any one with such problem can contact him on his email drwilliams098675@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. CURE TO EPILEPSY WITHOUT ANY SIDE EFFECT: My son was diagnosed with epilepsy. My son epilepsy was something i don't understand he cry so bad that he was usually in bed for about 8 hours and soreness killers (even prescription strength) don't stop the crying (except taking him out) even if he take triple the dosage. my son symptoms was really so bad,that we have to make hospital our home, and all the doctors would do is monitor it, prescribe him countless of control pills and pain medication with no positive result. until recently I contacted a Doctor who put an end to this problem. If you are having same problem with epilepsy son contact Dr. William for advice and possible solution without any side effect (drwilliams098675@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Dr Williams for everything he have done in my life. I have been in tears for so many years now, having found that my only son is suffering from seizure, lesion after some years of being under extreme stress., . I spent 24 hours freaking out and finally calmed down after reading some testimony on here about Dr Williams herbal medicine to seizure. The moment came and I mumbled out to my husband about Dr Williams product (with a few tears) and he was AMAZE – . He was just worried about our son been free from this disorder that was how will order for Dr Williams product on line , after my son finish taking Dr Williams medicine for just within a period of one month. Will went to the doc together who confirmed that he was seizure free.
    Thank you again for being upfront, truthful and taking this pain away from my family for more information about his product you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com i hope you can also help other terrified people in a similar situation.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks to Dr Williams I am so happy today, my wife have been suffering from epilepsy for so many years now, and i have spent a lot on western drugs which has all proved abortive, i have tried all means in life to get my wife out of this , but there was no answer until i decided to try herbal solution and i found Dr Williams online and i contacted him and after she took his medication as instructed, my wife is now completely cure from epilepsy within one month of usage, i am so much happy, thanks to Dr Williams for helping me get my wife life back again without any form of crisis, i promise to tell your name and good deeds to the whole world,if you have someone with epilepsy you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for more information .

    ReplyDelete
  19. Am One of the happiest woman on earth since my son was cured from the problem of seizure,which he has been having for eight years now,he do have the attack two to three times a week,which was affecting his education and his life.i got the contact of doctor Williams from the post of one Mr Paul thanking him for curing his seizure problem,i got the contact and contacted him then he made me to know that the medication is a permanent cure, and that was how i got the medication which i used on my son,and for six month now there have been no sign of seizure in him again.any one with such problem can contact him on his email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for more information.

    ReplyDelete

 
Photos by Capture Me Candid

BLOG DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS