Thu. - Sat., Dec. 6-8

So, I guess pretty much everyone who reads my blog regularly knows already that Natasha had a seizure on Thursday night. In case someone reading this wants to hear the short version, the following paragraph is just a bit more detailed than the original message I e-mailed to our loved ones.

Please pray for Natasha, who had a febral seizure last night - her/our first ever, and prayerfully the last!! She is okay now; actually the seizure itself lasted maybe five minutes (the longest five minutes in a long time, with N alternately frozen solid and convulsing; she was blue, her eyes were glazed over, and she had lost control of bodily functions. The immediate effects were noticeable for at least a half-hour after she started breathing again (along with much unconscious moaning, violence, and aggitation. She has no memory of about 45 minutes of last night. Febral seizures are considered normal in children up to age five, so since she is only 10 days of nine years old, the emergency services folks made sure that we took her to the ER that night for tests. I’m actually happy for her that N was recovered-enough to remember the ride in the ambulance. The fireman who stayed with us in the back is a CARBON COPY of our all-time favorite fireman (who is remaining nameless) aka Banjo Hasselhoff (!!! LOL), which is super-ironic since he is also a fireman and he is the only person with whom N & I have previously been in an ambulance!! (Thankfully the first time was just an educational tour, compared to this scary emergency!!) We spent the night in the hospital enduring blood tests, CAT scan, chest x-ray, and a spinal tap, all to rule out meningitis, pneumonia, brain tumor, bleeding in the brain, etc. My prayer request now is for Natasha to quickly recover from the spinal tap; she was a TROOPER, enduring the ordeal without being sedated, but it required five attempts and she is extremely sore ... can't straighten up any more than 90 degrees.

There were some extremely sweet moments during the traumatic night. The first one made us realize that as N & I were being loaded into the ambulance, N must have not understood/heard that Jeremy was going to follow us to the hospital. Of course he had to park in the regular parking spot at the hospital, so he had to come in a different entrance and it took a little while for him to make his way to the room back in the ER where we were. By that time N was getting settled into the ER room and I was signing papers ($$, $$, $$) in the hallway outside her room, so I didn’t see this happen. Jeremy said his heart completely melted when she saw him standing in the doorway of her room and she completely brightened up in surprise and gently smiled, “Hi, Dad!”

N got to choose, in the ambulance, between a blue or pink Beanie Baby bear, and in the hospital the doctors, nurses, techs, and aides were pleased as punch to be helping this young lady whose training held fast through the night, including many, “No, thank you”s and “Yes, please”s. It was all about what they could do to help N be more comfortable. They apologized left and right for every moment of discomfort they had to cause her (which was many, obviously!), and doted on her to the MAX. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising to Jeremy and me when she, in two moments, hours apart, said to us in peaceful bliss, “These people are so nice!” Especially her nurse, Susan, became practically *dear* to us; she even HUGGED ME at the end of her shift, which was also the moment we were being released!! I would like to be Susan’s FRIEND in real life!! After watching her through most of the night, I had no doubt I was correct when I stated to her, “You are a mom.” She said, “Yes. I’m a mom. But mine are older, 18 and 13!” I could tell by the way she handled Natasha, everything from her word choice to how she brushed N’s bangs off her forehead. Today (Saturday) the hospital called following up on our ACCHSS application (Medicaid insurance); when I hung up N asked me who that was. I said, “Someone from the hospital.” Her face brightened, “Susan??” [Typing this story right now has made me determine to make an effort to get some kind of expression of our thanks to “ER Nurse ‘Susan’” at the hospital…. Gotta figure that one out.]

Jeremy got to bed at 9am Friday morning, and was up at 2pm to get some work done. I got to bed at noon (after showering N, changing her sheets, laundering and then showering my own self); I was up by 5pm, feeling as bad as I felt last Friday!! ARGH. We were all ssssso thankful that Elaine was willing/able to take Friday off to care for Justus … and, as it turned out, Natasha; strangely, N evidently slept enough at the hospital that she wasn’t interested in sleeping at all on Friday! That, or she was shaken-up enough that her body wasn’t ready to wind down She was super-mellow all day though, obviously. Thankfully she was able to stand up fully just a few hours into the day!! Prayers were totally answered. Then, no surprise here, she slept FOURTEEN HOURS last night (Friday)!!

We are super-thankful that N’s fever didn't last even twenty-four hours and she is back to 'perfectly normal' (whatever that is!! ha) except for the typical Day Two aching back and head, due to the spinal tap ('lumbar puncture', the doctor called it); once the fluid levels in her spinal column return to normal, the pressure will be relieved on the back and brain. The only relief she had today was from comparatively high (but doctor-recommended) doses of ibuprofen and lying down most all of the day; the prone position partially relieves the pressure.... It was kind-of cute: she would get tired of lying down, and decide to get up and make her way around a bit, but soon the pain would return and she would pleasantly say, "Well, now I have to go back to the couch so my head will stop hurting." Justus had a BLAST playing her waiter. Precious.

I very much like how you stated, and that you are praying, that the evening will become nothing more than a memory of a difficult night that drew our family closer together.

Since we have first-time ever company coming for lunch tomorrow (Sunday), and seeing that we basically ‘lost’ Friday, Jeremy and I have felt, today, like we’re CRAMMING! The living room was crazy, what with the Christmas boxes half-unpacked [We had invited Wayne England to come over on Friday evening for supper and to watch the children decorate the Christmas tree; alas, THAT wasn’t about to happen….], and then a good two week’s worth of … just … *stuff* that had been ignored/postponed while I was sick! However, since I actually expressed to Jeremy last night, “I hate being so far out of my ‘groove’!” I am happy to report that this one day of being home, feeling good, and working hard on the house to meet my deadline of lunch tomorrow (lol), I’m much closer to having my ‘groove’ back. FINALLY.

Another reason the living room has been such a disaster the past couple days is that the boxes arrived from my Pampered Chef show, so we have been sorting everyone’s items into their bags for delivery tomorrow of most all of the orders. And, I am already SSSSSSSSSSO enjoying the new products I was able to get!!!!! OHMYGOODNESS, I like Pampered Chef so much. I’m surprised that so far my favorite new product is the Easy Adjustable Measuring Scoop! I wish I could show it to you!! It’s – WOW. heehee

It was a very full day of work for Jeremy. There was a NOT PLEASANT Men’s Meeting this morning. (So far in the last three weeks two people have even VOICED the words, “I don’t want our congregation to grow.” We’re aghast – speechless.) There is quite a lot more prep required for the Sunday evening service this week because it is a combined worship service/memorial service for Bob and Leota’s daughter, Donelle, who a number of folks in this congregation knew … back in the day.

Sadly, although it is already 11:45pm, I now have to churn out the prayer requests and announcements for tomorrow’s bulletin which Jeremy plans to format and print early tomorrow morning at the building. Talk about last minute!

Here are two pictures of Natasha. First, from yesterday, when Natasha walked around gingerly, holding her legs funny and with a hand on her back at almost all times. She is lighting a candle which was one of the $1 gifts Elaine helped Justus pick out/purchase for N at the Dollar Store, along with balloons that they brought home and decorated for N.

This second picture cracks me up - actually for a couple reasons. First, Jabba. Always in the center of things.... Second, poor N really has felt good today, except for the pain in the back/head that kept her down. She read a lot, including the kids' newspaper the hospital sent home with us, and did the activities in it. At the point I took the picture she had moseyed upstairs and brought down the box of music instruments. She was determined to learn to play Jingle Bells on the recorder! LOL It was as good a time as any ... she certainly had enough TIME to spend on it! Every time I was going either up or downstairs for the next 'leg' of my home-making journey today, N would follow me, blanket and pillow in hand. When I would raise a questioning eyebrow, she said things like, "I'm transporting myself. So I can be with you." (Talking my EAR OFF, needless to say. lol)