While The Cat's Away

The mice haven't done an extensive amount of playing while the cats have been away. My husband and oldest son return home in two days. From all accounts, they've had a memorable time in Ecuador, and I'm sure it's been an unforgettable experience.

Most that has happened here in the meantime hasn't been particularly outstanding: too much eating, staying up too late, sleeping in. The boys went swimming at a friend's house, we spent a few days with their cousins (my brother's family), we took a trip to Chico to visit my husband's parents, and they actually travelled back with us and are here now. It's always great to be with them. So!...all good stuff and low-key.

EXCEPT. For those two episodes I could've done without. The Sunday before last, as we were preparing to head to Chico, my middle son came up to me and told me his face had just done this funny thing. His tongue had felt "hot" and strange and then the left side of his face did this "shaking" thing. That was puzzling and I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but I shelved the information and asked a few friends of ours (in Chico) who are nurses what it could have been. They weren't sure either, having not seen it, and so I didn't think a lot about it.

Tuesday night, late, he informed me that his tongue had done that funny thing but nothing else had happened. This could have been connected to the same thing, could've been nothing. Who knows.

Wednesday, however, as we were almost ready to get in the car to come back home, my guy came up to me, holding the left side of his face. And there, right before my eyes, my son was having some sort of horrible "attack". The left side of his face was contorting, over and over, and it seemed to go on and on. I looked over in horror to the nurse friend I mentioned---who thank goodness just happened to be there visiting with me---and she said very calmly, "He's having a focal seizure." I just held him while it happened, feeling scared and utterly helpless. As soon as it was over, he kind of went limp in my arms and his speech was very slushy. Finally, he was able to get the words out, "It happened again, it happened again." The strange aftermath was almost more frightening than the episode, but my friend assured me this was normal behavior after such an event.

It was very scary, to say the least, and very worrisome. I can't imagine how awful it must be for a parent to see a child in full seizure. I can't imagine it. This was minor compared to that but still highly unsettling. He seemed completely fine after it all happened and went back to playing while I felt more than slightly unraveled. We postponed our trip home and my friend Susie kindly went with me to the hospital where she works. Thank goodness she was there when it happened! It made such a difference to have someone with some training and experience and calming effect to kind of smooth the way.

He got a CAT scan and blood work done and all that good stuff. Everything was perfectly normal. PHEW. The big stuff could be discounted: tumor, lesion, etc. But then.....what was it?

Back home here, his doctors at the California Ear Institute are fairly certain that it was simply facial nerve stimulation, possibly connected to the implant, though they've never seen or heard of anything quire like what he went through. They feel like possibly sound thresholds were a tiny bit too high (Greek to most of us) and made a few slight adjustments. So far nothing has happened since. So far, so good. Before I proceed with any other doctors, I'm waiting to see if it happens again.

SO....the mice have done some playing; it's been mostly an unbumpy road. There were a few parts there that I could've done completely without. Totally. And I've had a little bit of two-rowdy-rather-bored-boys overload. A few days of peace and aloneness sounds heavenly! Maybe that's somewhere on the horizon. Meanwhile, the mice are preparing for the cats' return and looking forward to it. This mouse certainly is!