Seizure

Errol is home now and feeling grand. But it's been a long climb out of the sickness that sent us to Duke.

Here's how it happened...

Last Monday I got a call at work to come pick Errol up from school. He had passed out. As soon as I laid eyes on Errol I knew that something was very wrong. He was white as a sheet, listless, and staring blankly into space. There was nothing of the smiling, cooing, laughing Errol. I put Errol right into the car and headed straight to Dr. Hunsinger’s office. As I drove, Errol slumped further over into his car seat. His eyes were open, but they were blank and unresponsive.

I tried to rouse Errol by opening the car windows and letting the cold air blow on him. But as the air blew across his blonde hair, Errol just sat hunched over in his seat. Barely there.

Out on the interstate, I was driving 85 miles an hour trying to get to the doctor before it was too late. I kept looking over my shoulder. The less life Errol showed, the faster I drove. I watched Errol like a hawk. Errol hunched further over.

The open windows weren’t rousing Errol, so I honked the horn to try to startle him awake. Then I turned around and yelled in my meanest teacher voice,

“Errol!”

“Errol!”

“Errol. Wake up!”

He didn’t budge.

I looked over my shoulder for signs of life. I swerved between the lanes. Errol remained in his slump. I panicked. I thought about turning around and driving to the emergency room. My mind and my heart were racing. I didn’t know what to do and I couldn't tell if, down under his big coat, he was even breathing.

I screeched to a stop on the shoulder and ran around the car to check on Errol. I tapped him on the cheek and then felt for his pulse. It was there! I breathed. I looked down at Errol. I hurried back behind the wheel and pushed on.

As we burst through the door of the doctor’s office, the nurses took one look at Errol and rushed us straight back to Dr. Hunsinger.

Dr. Hunsinger quickly examined Errol and asked lots of questions. As I described the details of Errol’s condition, the doctor quickly diagnosed a seizure.

The seizure, which would leave Errol with no permanent damage, was caused, we soon deduced, by Errol's meds (better and more expensive meds that the insurance would not cover would not have caused seizures, but the cheap ones they gave us caused his seizure!)

As we finished the exam, Errol began to regain his color and even let out an uh-oh or two. He was feeling better and the news was, all things considered, better than we had feared. We headed for home.

Tragedy had been averted. I had thought I was going to lose my boy, but now he was going to be just fine. Or so it seemed…