On July 3rd, at Sophie's Kindergarten check up with the pediatrician, we explained to him a habit that she's had for the past few months which has recently become more frequent and more mysterious. The pediatrician immediately expected "Absence Seizures" when I described how they began when she was tired, how her eyes flutter to the ceiling for just a moment or two while she pauses briefly from speaking or eating, and then how she returns to whatever she was doing as if nothing happened.
At the appointment, he repeatedly said to her, "Take a deep breath....Again...Again...Again..." until her eyes fluttered up and she laid down on the table in exhaustion asking to stop. At that point he confirmed his diagnosis and referred us to a Neurologist. It took three weeks to meet our new doctor, and when we did he was disappointed that we hadn't got in sooner. After a brief exam, he stated, "She should have been on medicine yesterday!" He began her on Depakote that night. He also ordered blood work to get baseline counts before starting the medicine because it can be hard on the liver, an EEG to confirm the diagnosis, and an MRI.
The blood work was rough on her, but I think the anticipation was worse than the event. She cried the entire wait to get into the lab, the entire time the phlebotomist prepped her arm, and screamed when she was stuck. It was over quickly though, and she got a Cake Pop at Starbucks on the way out.
She left her ID bracelet from the lab on through her Birthday party on Sunday. I guess even though she hated the experience, she loved the free accessory. The Birthday party was a huge success--more friends than we'd ever expected. It was great to get together with friends and family and to get back to "normal" life.
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