Way to Go Mum!

20:00 (Monday) Last night I managed to go off into a full seizure whilst downstairs with mum watching TV. I guess mum's now taking it in her stride as she didn't even bother to call dad from upstairs. She just made sure I was safe and wiped up all the drool afterwards.

20:30 (Tuesday) Well almost the same time as last night, only this time I was all alone. Dad only found out about it because I went to say hello with my face covered in goop! Yeuch!! So dad went looking around and sure enough there was a puddle of slobber... and the sofas had great big smears of it all down the arms. Good job they're leather and like so many other things in the house, wipe clean!

Earlier in the evening dad noticed me mooching around suspiciously. I was just having a sniff at mums orchids and they smelled so nice, well I just had to see if they tasted as nice as they smell. So I gave one a pretty good munch and decided I didn't like it. No real harm done.

The Strangeness Continues...

Today dad thought I'd still got "that" look about me. So sure enough at around 7pm I started to go off on one. Mum was there too so saw for herself. I was well past the chompie stage and dad started calling me and trying to get my attention with some gentle rubs and I popped out of it again. It's really very strange, but if you can catch it in time it looks like the full seizure can be at least postponed.

Afterwards it's like nothing happened, but sure enough five minutes go by and the chompies start again. Dad then distracts me again and away they go. This carries on for half an hour or so with varying little chompies to the stage where you'd think I was going into full seizure, but then all is calm.

It's all just very strange. It really is like over time the seizure builds like a coiled spring. Then it needs to release full force, but if you can catch it just right you can slow it and let it release a little more gradually.

Dad's Got Some Time Off... Again

And we know what that means. Dad's got the next few weeks off work to use up some of his vast number of holiday allowance. As usual that's the trigger for me to get a visit from the seizure monster. He was still at work on Thursday and Friday though, so we thought it a little too early when the first full seizure struck.

21:15 (Thursday) No yelling or anything, dad just heard mum putting me outside. Normally mum gives a yell when I start fitting and dad comes running to the rescue. Looks like mum just took care of me herself for this one. Well done mum!

14:30 (Friday) As I'd had a seizure and they usually come in clusters dad was a bit brave taking me into work with him. But he wanted to keep an eye on me. He was on the phone when I started fitting. He didn't notice but Bev, one of his co-workers, did and dad slammed down the phone and came to look after me.

It's the first time Bev would have seen this and must have looked really quite distressing. But actually this was a relatively mild seizure. There was the cramps and chomping but no real twisting of the head, it didn't even go into the paddling so much. Just a bit of trouble waking up and disorientation afterwards. Dad took me straight out after and I had a bit of a wander around the car park.

20:30 (Friday) Dad noticed me starting to go off into one, but again it turned out to be a relatively light one. Still big enough to get frustrated with and big enough to tire me out for ages afterwards though.

03:30 (Saturday) I woke dad up in the night having a seizure in the bedroom. But it was another mild one. In fact their was no pacing afterwards, or the need to go out, or to desperately eat something. I just went back off to sleep.

14:30 (Saturday) Dad took me along to act as mascot at one of his car meetings again. I'd been on my best behaviour all day. After we'd been home for an hour or so I started to go into one. It'd gone way past the chompie or Tabasco stage and I was all ready on my way into the fitting, but somehow dad managed to snap me out of it. He was holding my head as usual and calling me to try to get me distracted and the seizure just stopped! I'd not been into it long enough for any disorientation or tiredness. It just went away and was like it never happened... well almost.

Keeping Dad on His Toes

Been a much better week this week. I'm still having the chompies every so often, but it's not as regular as it was.

Just to annoy dad I've started playing up with taking my tablets lately. I'll let him drop them in my mouth, but then I'll either shake my head sending them flying, or just hold them in my mouth for ages making him think I've taken them. But I've also realised that if I wait for him to go to work I can sick them back up before I've eaten my breakfast. So mum will find a pile of slobber and bile with tablets in.

So dad's getting sneaky. He puts a bit of butter (well vegetable based spread) on them first as he know I can't resist the taste of butter.

Not Really Getting Better

Since the last seizure things have stayed around the same. I still have regular chompies, probably 10 a day. It's just very frustrating as I don't know when they are coming. They tend to be when I'm relaxing, but that could just be a coincidence, because I do a lot of relaxing! Mum and dad are worried that I'll get one on the stairs and that'll mean me being disorientated and possibly fall. The house isn't geared to deal with me falling downstairs, no carpet on the stairs and tiled floor at the bottom.

11:00 Dad was off work sick. He really wasn't well yesterday at all, so we make a great couple. I was just having a chompie when it just carried on too long. Next thing dad realises I'm going into a full seizure. Mum sticks a towel under my head and dad clears the table and sofa away from me so there's plenty of room.

21:15 We thought we'd gotten of lightly today. Was exactly the same deal as this morning chompie that didn't stop.

It's strange how throughout suffering epilepsy how it has changed subtly over time. Each seizure is somehow slightly different than before and the effects somehow a little different. Well maybe it's not so strange, I think we're getting used to just how life is just different and we just cope with whatever comes along. So on a positive side, things may not be getting better, but they're not getting any worse - just different.

Not a Good Week

This week's not been great. Since the full seizure on Saturday I've been suffering with a lot of Tabasco's or "chompies" as mum calls them. They've been a bit bigger than the usual ones too. I'll be chomping whilst sat up and then begin to keel over, just like I'm about to go full seizure. But as I start to roll I catch myself and sit comping for a while.

Poor dad didn't realise I was going into a chompie the other morning. He was giving me my tablets which means holding my mouth open and dropping them in. Well in chompie mode I can't control my jaws so gave him a shock by accidentally munching on his fingers!

15:30 (yesterday) Being off school for the holidays Blaine was around to see me go into a full seizure. He cleaned up but obviously didn't let me out for long enough. When dad got home I'd poohed and did a huge wee on the living room floor. I looked all embarrassed when he found me.

21:25 (yesterday) This gave mum the fright of her life! I'd been upstairs with dad still having some chompies when I decided to go downstairs. Bad idea. As I started going down on came a full seizure. Luckily I don't remember what happened, but mum screamed out when I went sliding, bumping down the stairs and dad raced to me. I'm still here so no broken bones, but I do ache today. That's probably after the seizures though.

01:25 (today) I woke dad up with a big seizure. Afterwards was the usual routine of slowly downstairs for the toilet and a snack. Dad lay on the sofa expecting an all nighter, but I decided to go back upstairs to bed.

04:45 Well this wasn't a full seizure, but was certainly a big chompie. I woke dad up and he raced round to see if I was going full on, but it never happened.

This morning mum was worried. She even texted dad at work. I couldn't seem to stand up. My back legs wouldn't let me get up. I just wobbled and sat down. After a hour or so I got going and managed to get up. But it was scary. When dad got in from work it was like nothing had happened.

So not really a good week at all.

An Unwanted Visitor

We knew it was coming this week. For a few days I've been having Tabasco's and chomping away with lots of slobber.

21:15 (yesterday) finally I was lazing around down by mum when she thought I was stretching out in a big yawn. She thought it strange that it was taking a while and then I started off on a full seizure. I was all tangled up under the dining table so she shouted dad to come help.

Afterwards I was really sleepy, but as I came out of it all disorientated. When dad let me out I couldn't judge distances and walked into flower pots, the gate and then got stuck in a corner seemingly not realising I had to backup to turn around.

00:15 Again dad took me upstairs to bed so he could keep an eye on me. Right on cue I started chomping and into another seizure. Dad took me downstairs and I got some food and went outside. But when we went back up to bed I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted. Upstairs or downstairs? So in the end I went downstairs and only came upstairs early in the morning.

As dad's writing this he was getting ready to take me out for a walk. But I've just started chomping, so it looks like another's on its way.

Wet Weather

This past week has been pretty miserable. It's a typical British summer - raining every day. Which means I'm not keen on going outside at all. Brrr, get all cold and wet, no thanks. Wet weather also means no barbecue... and that means no treats at the weekend for me.

Friday night I had a few Tabasco moments whilst sat with Dad at the computer. I quickly snapped out of them and looked at him as if to say "What was that all about?" Other than that there's been no other incidents. Usually we'd be looking for the full seizures to follow. So far, so good.

Happy 4th July

Well happy for some... just not for me. I started the day with a seizure at around 11:30 this morning. So dad's had to give me a bath because I was covered in slobber and wee.

In the UK we don't celebrate Independence Day, but I certainly would if it meant I was independent of these seizures. But we'd like to wish all the American's out there a happy 4th of July.

Later this afternoon dad's going to fire up the barbecue. So I'm bound to get some treats from that.

Yesterday mum and dad went around to Jan and David's, with Ian and Anita for a barbecue... they left me at home. Still I heard it wasn't a proper barbecue because dad didn't get involved in the cooking at all! Having said that David did a great job as host and made some great food. The leftovers are around here somewhere.

All Alone

Sometime in the early morning I must have had a seizure. I was all alone in my bed and everyone else asleep in bed. Between Chris coming in late and about 7:00am this morning when I went upstairs into mum and dads room I'd had a seizure.

When Blaine got up he found I'd poohed on the floor in the kitchen and there was slobber everywhere. I obviously just got on with it and when I went upstairs there was nothing unusual going on, I just lay down and went back to sleep like nothing had happened.

Mum's having to redo the washing that was drying because I'd shaken my head and rained slobber over all the clothes.

I think this is the first time that no one has been around when I've had a seizure. I know dad likes to make sure someone it around when it gets to that time. But in all the time since I've had them and everyone being at work or school, I don't recall ever being alone afterwards.