I've got a gist and it needs getting.
Lately Calvin has done a lot of teeth grinding ... morning, noon and night, though thankfully not while he is asleep—not yet, anyway. The hair-raising sound leads me to think about these other side effects that Calvin has suffered—most of which we continue to see—amidst the various antiepileptic drug treatments aimed at thwarting his seizures:
Status epilepticus, increased seizures, emergence of different kinds of seizures, developmental delay, respiratory suppression, sleep apnea and oxygen desaturation, insomnia, somnolence, lack of appetite leading to significant weight loss, difficulty swallowing, difficulty administering seizure medicine (Calvin has been known to hold drugs in his mouth for up to 90 minutes before swallowing) headache, dizziness, pain, extremely poor balance, asthenia, decreased muscle tone, visual disturbances, gastrointestinal upset, cognitive blunting, poor coordination, mood swings, mania, extreme hyperactivity, screaming, drooling, dangerously elevated liver functions, hypercalcification in kidneys that can lead to kidney stones and/or kidney failure, and self-abuse (eye poking, pulling his hair out, hitting his head with his hands, grinding his teeth.)
If Calvin is lucky he’ll outgrow his epilepsy, though the chance of that is slim to none, which means he—along with FIFTY MILLION others—will live a lifetime suffering these sorts of side effects—or worse—unless, of course, we find a cure. Get my gist?
Please share Calvin’s story and help bring us one step closer to a cure for epilepsy.
Give to cure epilepsy: http://www.calvinscure.com
Lately Calvin has done a lot of teeth grinding ... morning, noon and night, though thankfully not while he is asleep—not yet, anyway. The hair-raising sound leads me to think about these other side effects that Calvin has suffered—most of which we continue to see—amidst the various antiepileptic drug treatments aimed at thwarting his seizures:
Status epilepticus, increased seizures, emergence of different kinds of seizures, developmental delay, respiratory suppression, sleep apnea and oxygen desaturation, insomnia, somnolence, lack of appetite leading to significant weight loss, difficulty swallowing, difficulty administering seizure medicine (Calvin has been known to hold drugs in his mouth for up to 90 minutes before swallowing) headache, dizziness, pain, extremely poor balance, asthenia, decreased muscle tone, visual disturbances, gastrointestinal upset, cognitive blunting, poor coordination, mood swings, mania, extreme hyperactivity, screaming, drooling, dangerously elevated liver functions, hypercalcification in kidneys that can lead to kidney stones and/or kidney failure, and self-abuse (eye poking, pulling his hair out, hitting his head with his hands, grinding his teeth.)
If Calvin is lucky he’ll outgrow his epilepsy, though the chance of that is slim to none, which means he—along with FIFTY MILLION others—will live a lifetime suffering these sorts of side effects—or worse—unless, of course, we find a cure. Get my gist?
Please share Calvin’s story and help bring us one step closer to a cure for epilepsy.
Give to cure epilepsy: http://www.calvinscure.com
No comments:
Post a Comment