Last night seemed like it was going to end like any other. I was snuggled on the couch watching tv with Kal-el. Chris usually doesn't get home from work until almost 11 so more often than not Super and I will nap on the couch until he arrives, then we all go upstairs to bed. Last night was no different. Kal-el played all day and was his usual vibrant sweet self. I noticed that he seemed a little warm as we were laying on the sofa...not hot by any means...just a tad warm. Chris and I always keep an extra close watch on his temperature because we knew there was a remote chance of him having febrile seizures. I had them as a baby and they have a very stong hereditary link. As I laid there with Super he wasn't getting any more warm so I decided against fever reducer for the time being. Chris arrived home about ten minutes later and wanted some snuggle time with Kal-el as well. I handed him over and asked Chris if he thought he felt warm at all. He replied "maybe a little." We decided to go ahead and give him some Tylenol just incase his fever rose in the night. Kal-el woke up when I gave him the yummy flavored medicine and stayed up for a little while and "chatted" with his Dada and I. A few minutes later I walked over to grab my cell phone so we could head upstairs. Thats when I saw something horrible out of the corner of my eye. Kal-el started convulsing while laying there on Chris. I screamed for my Mom to call 911. Chris jumped up, we noticed his symptoms at the same time. He was in and out and his little eyes were rolling back and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably. It wasn't exactly clear if he was breathing. My mom was hysterical and frantic. I wasn't much better off myself. I called 911. All I remember saying was my address over and over and begging for help for my baby. Chris was my rock I don't know what I would of done had he not of been home. He was able to preform CPR on Kal-el with the 911 operator's instructions. We hung on for dear life as I watched Chris work frantically. I was trying to hold it together for my husbands sake. He needed to be calm so he could hear. I almost completely lost it when I looked down and saw the baby I love more than life fighting to stay with us. His little lips turned blue and he started foaming at of his mouth.
The volunteer fire department arrived first. I must admit that I have not given them the amount of credit they deserved in the past. The were wonderful. They asked all the right medical questions and got Kal-el stablized with oxygen right away. It was another 10 minutes...thats right 10 minutes( don't even get me started) before the ambulance finally showed up. On the way to the hospital the ambulance took a wrong turn..I'm trying not to complain much because God saw fit to see us through us but GOOD GRIEF....My entire family along with a stabilized but lethargic baby boy finally made our way to the ER to see a doctor.
Our initial thoughts were confirmed. Kal-el had a feberal seizure. They are NOT life threatening but there is a possibilty that he could have another one before age 5 if he has another fever. They are most common in male toddlers but they do grow out of them. Most of the medical knowledge I knew before hand BUT I can assure you when it's YOUR child it DOES NOT matter. Panic and fear are inevitable. The doctor there was very through and very competent. I do not play when it comes to medical care. We were very pleased with him. He ran a series of test to make certain there was nothing else going on. Thank you God---there wasn't. Kal-el had a normal virus , like the common cold, "fever virus" which caused the spike in fever. It was explained to us that it's not how high the tempature goes but how fast it gets there. It's the quick change or the spike that causes the seizure. I was totally unaware of this but it made complete sense to me because he never seemed to have a high fever. As a matter of fact his fever never got higher than 102 and that was when it was at it's worst at the ER. We were also told that they are not preventable. The doctor informed us that once you notice a fever Tylenol won't do anything to stop it. So basicly if the seizure is going to happen it will happen. The only possible preventative measure is not being exposed to illness. I'm so grateful he is not in daycare or this may of come up alot sooner.
After we got the clear on all the other medical test we were cleared to go home after two hours of observation. I found relief and comfort in knowing that while it's EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING it's not near as bad as it looks and is much more common than people imagine. One out of every 25 children will have at least one fever related seizure and the count is higher for little boys. Thankfully, not only is it NOT FATAL but it causes NO long term effects and the brain is NOT deprived of oxygen. I still hope that we can make it to age 5 without another eposide since that seems to be the age that its offically outgrown.
In closing I just want to say how extremely blessed I feel. I am often of few words when it comes to spirituality, only because I'm a private person and I try not to seem intrusive or pushy to others. Don't ever mistake that for me not having faith. There is NO WAY that my family and I got through this ordeal without God's hand. I found a small since of peace in the middle of a terrible storm that I otherwise would not of been able to concur. I will not fail to thank God everyday for this child. There are Mommys that don't bring their babies home. My heart aches for them after this experience. I have the most awesome support system when it comes to my family and a few very close friends. I could not ask for a better husband and father in Chris. He's always there when we need him most. I'm so grateful that Kal-el has a wonderful grandmother in Mimsy and great grandparents that love him more than anything in this world not to mention a pair of great aunts, uncles and cousins that surround him with love and affection. You gave us quite a scare last night sweet baby boy but as someone else put it....we didn't name you Superman for nothing. Your Mommy's little fighter. We love you Thomas Kal-el Borquez and we thank God that you are all better.
