Well, Lexx surprised us all and went over 4 weeks without having a seizure this time round. It was a bit of a saving grace considering we spent the long weekend away at a friend's cottage and nothing is inconvenient like a seizuring 80lb dog that screams in the middle of the night.
Anywho, our luck ran out last night and Lexx had a tiny seizure episode. I'm really impressed that though the frequency of the seizures appears to be in flux, or even slightly increased, the severity has decreased significantly.
He no longer looses control of his bowels or bladder, this time there was remarkably little drool and the entire episode only lasted around 40seconds instead of the old 2 minutes.
The BEST part? He goes right back to sleep afterwards. This is amazing for Kyle and I because it means that we're not up panicking about a pacing, post ichtal mess of a dog for 2 hours at 3 am.
His episode was around 12am, but he slept until 4am when he decided that outside for a pee would be quite nice please mom. By that time he was responsive to his name and coordinated enough to make it down the stairs and out the door without much support from us.
It might sound silly, but as the mother of a seizure dog, you learn to count your blessings. I could not even begin to explain to anyone how AWESOME it is that these changes have materialized. The seizures themselves are terrifying, and obviously I wish that they would just go away all together, but in all honesty, the post ichtal phase almost bothers me more.
There is just something so heartbreaking about watching your baby pace and run in to walls, falling over and unresponsive. Something horrifying about calling his name or speaking to him softly and seeing not even a glimmer of recognition in his eyes.
So, In conclusion, I'll take it.
Anywho, in other news Lexx has a bump on his pad on his front right foot. I have been watching it for awhile and it seemed to be growing a tiny bit so we popped in to the vet. Of course they want to do a histology on it which involves knocking him out or heavily sedating him. Of course, this involves more cost due to his conditions.*sigh*
I really wanted to get his teeth done anyways, so I'm thinking a week of antibiotics pre surgery, teeth and foot, then a week of antibiotics post op and we can just kill everything with one stone for now.
Off to call Greg for more seizure drugs, might as well get him to through in some antibiotics while Im at it. I mean, who doesn't love a 500$ medication bill in July right?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
we're back
I've been very very bad about this blog. I haven't written in ages.
Things just got too complicated and emotional and I found that writing it all here was draining.
I do wish however that I had continued because it was a fantastic way to keep track of Lexx's progress.
as a quick run down, he went through another round of surgeries in october of last year to check the shunt again since the MRI still showed no change. Everything appeared to be fine.
He is still suffering from seizures.
A recent increase in seizure frequency has led me to believe that I should start keeping track on here again, so that I have a nice place to keep notes.
L
Things just got too complicated and emotional and I found that writing it all here was draining.
I do wish however that I had continued because it was a fantastic way to keep track of Lexx's progress.
as a quick run down, he went through another round of surgeries in october of last year to check the shunt again since the MRI still showed no change. Everything appeared to be fine.
He is still suffering from seizures.
A recent increase in seizure frequency has led me to believe that I should start keeping track on here again, so that I have a nice place to keep notes.
L
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
surgery update
SO sorry that I didn't update sooner, I've been VERY busy at work.
Heard from Lexx's surgeon the SECOND he stepped out of surgery. First words out of his mouth: Everything went REALLY well.
Thats a good start!
Apparently the tubing in his abdomen had bunched up so badly that the body had formed a large amount of scar tissue around it restricting ANY flow through the tubes at all. It was so bad that he couldn't even press saline through it using a syringe with a plunger. It was so tangled and solid that the two surgeons had trouble even pulling the tubing OUT.
Anyways, the good news is that that valve is 100% fine and the shunt itself is working well. They attached new tubing and this time it had NO issues settling nicely in his abdomen. Right off the bat after the last surgery Greg was worried about how the tubing was settling, this time it looks perfect.
More good news is that now we KNOW that the shunt wasn't working AT ALL. This means that there is still hope that Lexx will feel MUCH better now that he has it! YAY
There are no guarantees that this won't happen again I suppose, but I have learned that there are no guarantees to life. I am just happy that he is OK and that we have diagnosed and FIXED the problem. The chances that it will re occur are greatly reduced by the fact that the tubing is cooperating this time.
Greg seemed genuinely happy about the results, making me genuinely happy. Now, I just have to wait for the note that he's come out of the anesthetic perfectly well. Lexx is a very sleepy recoverer and often takes a long time to come around properly. It bugs me because I worry, but it makes the surgeon happy because he isn't up banging around right away.
I know that they will take excellent care of him there, and I can HARDLY wait to get him home again where he belongs.
I am so happy right now! My baby still has a chance at a seizure free ( or at least reduced) life.
Heard from Lexx's surgeon the SECOND he stepped out of surgery. First words out of his mouth: Everything went REALLY well.
Thats a good start!
Apparently the tubing in his abdomen had bunched up so badly that the body had formed a large amount of scar tissue around it restricting ANY flow through the tubes at all. It was so bad that he couldn't even press saline through it using a syringe with a plunger. It was so tangled and solid that the two surgeons had trouble even pulling the tubing OUT.
Anyways, the good news is that that valve is 100% fine and the shunt itself is working well. They attached new tubing and this time it had NO issues settling nicely in his abdomen. Right off the bat after the last surgery Greg was worried about how the tubing was settling, this time it looks perfect.
More good news is that now we KNOW that the shunt wasn't working AT ALL. This means that there is still hope that Lexx will feel MUCH better now that he has it! YAY
There are no guarantees that this won't happen again I suppose, but I have learned that there are no guarantees to life. I am just happy that he is OK and that we have diagnosed and FIXED the problem. The chances that it will re occur are greatly reduced by the fact that the tubing is cooperating this time.
Greg seemed genuinely happy about the results, making me genuinely happy. Now, I just have to wait for the note that he's come out of the anesthetic perfectly well. Lexx is a very sleepy recoverer and often takes a long time to come around properly. It bugs me because I worry, but it makes the surgeon happy because he isn't up banging around right away.
I know that they will take excellent care of him there, and I can HARDLY wait to get him home again where he belongs.
I am so happy right now! My baby still has a chance at a seizure free ( or at least reduced) life.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Seizure- July 25 2009
Well, Lexx got through the first 24hours with the myelogenic dye in his head no problem and I picked him up yesterday afternoon. He was still pretty dopey, but otherwise happy to see mom with nubbins and bounces.
The dye had mostly drained from his head and therefore his seizure risk was no higher than it always is for Lexx.
well... knowing my luck apparently Lexx didn't want to seize for the clinic, he wanted to save it for his mommy.
*sigh*
seizure
- started with small jaw movements that actually took me a second to realize what was happening. Progressed into grand mal behaviours, full body stiffness and rolled back eyes, drooling, though not as much paddling or snapping as normal. Loss of bowel control but no loss of bladder control.
total time: 1.5 minutes including jaw movements, no valium given
drugs: potassium bromide, 2.8mL once daily, phenobarbitol 60mg tablet 2x daily
post ichtal phase: sleep for 30 minutes, pacing and extreme thirst after for more than 30 minutes ( i'm still observing that.. pace pace pace)
Otherwise, nothing abnormal for lexx.
The dye had mostly drained from his head and therefore his seizure risk was no higher than it always is for Lexx.
well... knowing my luck apparently Lexx didn't want to seize for the clinic, he wanted to save it for his mommy.
*sigh*
seizure
- started with small jaw movements that actually took me a second to realize what was happening. Progressed into grand mal behaviours, full body stiffness and rolled back eyes, drooling, though not as much paddling or snapping as normal. Loss of bowel control but no loss of bladder control.
total time: 1.5 minutes including jaw movements, no valium given
drugs: potassium bromide, 2.8mL once daily, phenobarbitol 60mg tablet 2x daily
post ichtal phase: sleep for 30 minutes, pacing and extreme thirst after for more than 30 minutes ( i'm still observing that.. pace pace pace)
Otherwise, nothing abnormal for lexx.
CT scan and Dye fail
So Lexx had his post OP CT scan on Thursday to check his shunt.
To make a long and frustrating day short, the CT showed that the pressure and fluid build up in his ventricles had shown no change. This means that the shunt is not working, or that the valve that we installed is not the correct one for Lexx.
The first thought was that the valve itself was not the proper pressure valve for Lexx and that it would need to be replaced. The surgery isn't a big deal, but the valve itself is very expensive.
After some consultation, it was decided that we should check to see if the shunt itself was working by injecting a dye ( myelogenic) into the shunt and watching it move through into the abdomen. WELL. It didn't. It moved UP into Lexx's brain.
Bad news: when the dye is in the brain, its known to cause seizures... in NORMAL dogs let alone epileptic ones. Double bad news: Lexx would have to remain at the clinic overnight for observaton. Triple bad news: the shunt isn't working at all.
Now surgery is booked for next week. A clamp will be placed in the shunt tube between the valve and his brain to prevent the dye incident from being repeated. This surgery will be completed under a fluoroscope so that the progress of the dye through the shunt can be monitored.
Our first thought is that there is an inclusion somewhere in the tubing, either from fatty build up putting pressure on the tube, the tubes being tangled or kinked or a protein build up in the valve itself.
It is still a possibility that the valve is not working properly, and will need to be replaced. Since this option costs me a thousand dollars, I'm really REALLY hoping thats not it.
In all his awesomeness, my surgeon is doing everything for free, including the anesthetics, the hospital stay and the surgery itself. So thats incredibly helpful. The only payment required will be for the abdominal surgeon that will be required to enter his abdomen to help fix whatever problem that may be found. Can't ask him to work for free!
To make a long and frustrating day short, the CT showed that the pressure and fluid build up in his ventricles had shown no change. This means that the shunt is not working, or that the valve that we installed is not the correct one for Lexx.
The first thought was that the valve itself was not the proper pressure valve for Lexx and that it would need to be replaced. The surgery isn't a big deal, but the valve itself is very expensive.
After some consultation, it was decided that we should check to see if the shunt itself was working by injecting a dye ( myelogenic) into the shunt and watching it move through into the abdomen. WELL. It didn't. It moved UP into Lexx's brain.
Bad news: when the dye is in the brain, its known to cause seizures... in NORMAL dogs let alone epileptic ones. Double bad news: Lexx would have to remain at the clinic overnight for observaton. Triple bad news: the shunt isn't working at all.
Now surgery is booked for next week. A clamp will be placed in the shunt tube between the valve and his brain to prevent the dye incident from being repeated. This surgery will be completed under a fluoroscope so that the progress of the dye through the shunt can be monitored.
Our first thought is that there is an inclusion somewhere in the tubing, either from fatty build up putting pressure on the tube, the tubes being tangled or kinked or a protein build up in the valve itself.
It is still a possibility that the valve is not working properly, and will need to be replaced. Since this option costs me a thousand dollars, I'm really REALLY hoping thats not it.
In all his awesomeness, my surgeon is doing everything for free, including the anesthetics, the hospital stay and the surgery itself. So thats incredibly helpful. The only payment required will be for the abdominal surgeon that will be required to enter his abdomen to help fix whatever problem that may be found. Can't ask him to work for free!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
seizure update- July 9th 2009
Ive been bad, not even updating my medical info
Lexx had another seizure last night.
duration: 2.5 minutes
no loss of bowel/bladder control but more vicious muscle spasms that normal. I actually had to pull his paw from his mouth so that he didn't bite through it. scary.
meds: 2.8ml Kbr 1x daily, 60mg Phenobarb 2x daily
12 weeks post op. No evidence that shunt is functioning to reduce seizure activity at all.
Must discuss alteration of drug levels with Greg at follow up CT scan. Possibility of Removing Kbr to attempt to alleviate house trainin issues and UP phenobarb to 90mg 2x daily.
Lexx had another seizure last night.
duration: 2.5 minutes
no loss of bowel/bladder control but more vicious muscle spasms that normal. I actually had to pull his paw from his mouth so that he didn't bite through it. scary.
meds: 2.8ml Kbr 1x daily, 60mg Phenobarb 2x daily
12 weeks post op. No evidence that shunt is functioning to reduce seizure activity at all.
Must discuss alteration of drug levels with Greg at follow up CT scan. Possibility of Removing Kbr to attempt to alleviate house trainin issues and UP phenobarb to 90mg 2x daily.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
just keep swimming... just keep swimming
I just have to keep telling myself that ONE day I will have a dog that will NOT pee on the floor, will NOT require six different pills twice a day, WILL NOT need "just one more" MRI, CT scan, Xray or Ultrasound.
One day, things WILL be normal and I will NOT live 24 hours a day wondering "what next"
One day...
The strangest thing? that day will be the day that I find things odd, or abnormal.
*sigh*
One day, things WILL be normal and I will NOT live 24 hours a day wondering "what next"
One day...
The strangest thing? that day will be the day that I find things odd, or abnormal.
*sigh*
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