Hunter and our big scare

This is the condensed version of our recent happenings with Hunter, though it is still a long story:

He has had a few "episodes" (I call them)-- just 2 that we know of. One earlier this year, and then the second one in early May while here at my parents, that have caused concern for us. Basically out of nowhere, he loses his balance and the whole left side of his body goes limp. It leaves him with no muscle control and he doesn't appear to be present in the moment-- like he's spacing off. It's a little scary to witness. I didn't really see the whole first episode (Rusty did), but I did see the 2nd from start to finish-- and so did my mom (who's a nurse). Though I had explained to her about the first incident, and had even called into the Dr. office at the time, it was another thing to see first-hand. Anyways, my mom felt strongly enough that I should take him in to be seen, and while I felt scared witnessing it, the episode is brief and he seems just fine afterward. Seriously, he is such an energetic kid that I found myself pushing away any concerns. I admit that the thought of taking my kids to the ER scares me a bit, but I did take him the next morning. To summarize: he's had a series of tests since then-- neurological tests and visits, an EEG (studying his brain waves during a 40 min. sleep period), and most recently an MRI (brain scan) up at Children's Hospital. All tests have turned out normal, so many concerns of tumors or other major brain blockages, etc. have been eliminated. Those were some of the worse-case scenarios. We are not sure what the cause is, but our neurologist doesn't feel concerned, now that the scary stuff has been ruled out. His speculation is that it is a mild type of seizure (apparently quite common in children and they grow out of it) where the child stares off a bit (hello, all kids do that!) and that we are only seeing the after-effects of his body recovering or processing whatever his brain needs to (the part most parents don't see). So at this point, we are not pursuing anything further unless another episode happens, and then we will repeat the EEG and go for blood work.

Anyways, he has been a huge trooper through it all....

These pictures are from our visit to Children's Hospital.

Hunter was so excited to wear a backpack filled with several special things; Playing with trucks in the waiting room

This picture breaks my heart! He could tell something was going to happen when I changed him into this nightgown. It was right before he had to be held down for sedation. What an awful moment! Rusty was meeting us at the hospital, but hadn't gotten there yet. It was hard for me to see Hunter's eyes and hold him down while they put a mask on him for sedation. I've never heard such sad cries. I thought I'd be okay emotionally, but I guess I should have known better. The anesthesiologist looked at me once Hunter was out of it and said, "well, would you like to kiss him goodbye before we take him?" Something about the way that was said, or me being on the verge of emotion and pregnancy and scary 'what if' thoughts about what they could find made me totally lose it. I could not see to walk away to the family recovery room where we'd wait for him. I went straight to the bathroom and got myself under control, only to come out to find Rusty waiting for me. Hello, more tears! And then it was tough for both of us when they brought him back after the procedure-- still unconscious, a tiny body strapped to a big gurney and hooked to lots of wires. It was nice to hold him and help him wake up, hoping he wouldn't remember the last time he saw me as I'd helped to hold him down when he was sedated. Then we got to spend the whole day with just the three of us. And I think he could feel the special treatment Rusty and I gave him. I am so grateful for healthy children, modern medicine, and for a Heavenly Father who heard an extra dose of prayers for our little guy.