Life Priorities – How A Single Event Can Change It All

Its amazing how your life priorities can change in an eyeblink.

Christmas had come and past, and I’ve saved vacation, taking the time to enjoy time with my family.  To be honest, we’ve been pretty lazy, just hanging around the house and taking care of loose ends, letting the boys enjoy their new toys.  They particularly enjoyed their new Wii Sports Resort game, and played it hard for two consecutive days.  We’ve not strictly enforced their bedtimes, and the eating habits have been pretty lax, as well.  After all – its Christmas break, right?

On December 28th, at 8:30 pm, my six year old had laid down on the loveseat to take a break.  He proceeded to have a seizure, which caused him to fall off onto the floor.  The entire episode lasted 30-45 seconds.  We proceeded to take him to the emergency room, where he was subjected to a variety of tests, as the physicians tried to determine what had caused the episode.  They had little by way of concrete answers to offer.  What I now know is that its not their fault, as seizures are poorly understood.

This is going to be the beginning of a long journey – for us, and for him – as we search for an answer.

Life Priorities – Your Children’s Health

What we know now is that seizures are not uncommon in children.  The number of potential triggers is almost staggering.  Here are the facts:

• Approximately 3% of all children have a seizure before the age of 15.  Half of those are febrile (fever induced)
• Around 1% of all children have recurring, epileptic seizures
• Around 75% of children who experience seizures have no known cause.  But for those who do, they can include:
  • Infection
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Medication
  • Bleeding
  • Fatigue
  • Flashing lights/repetitive patterns
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Genetics
  • Underlying brain problems (tumors, blood vessel defects, etc)
  • Head trauma

And the list goes on, and on.

It may be that this is a one-time event.  Yet it may not, as well.  We have to treat it as if it isn’t.

What we know is that our household routine has changed dramatically, and some of those changes can be contributors to such an event.  At this stage, all we can do is immediately get back on our household routine.  Much to the chagrin of our kids.

You can expect to see me writing about this subject, as I learn more about it myself.  Part of living a fit and balanced life means knowing when to bring more important things to the top of the priority list, as life’s demands dictate it.  This is one such time.