Well, the verdict is TOMORROW. Boohoo. We'll survive, I suppose. We just really miss Alex. We mainly just slept this afternoon. Larry is still really dizzy and pretty wiped out. I'm wiped out emotionally after all this. So we've enjoyed just lying around today. Oh! Best thing in the world... WE BOTH HAD HOT SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON! LOL Thank you to Nurse Claudia for that shower! Our hot water hasn't worked the entire time we were here. I survived one shower and decided I'd just stink with Larry. Claudia realized that no matter what time we take our shower, the hot water should work! YAY! We just kept thinking we were taking our showers when everyone else did. Larry doesn't have the EEG on anymore, but he is still on video.

The doctor came this afternoon and said we'd be out of here at 9:30 am in the morning, so we're going to try and make it to Temple for lunch. We hope. He said they'll have the results of the SPECT scan next week sometime, then they'll present his case to the board and evaluate all the information. The results for the neuropsychological testing won't be for another two weeks. He said to call his nurse in 2-3 weeks to see if Larry's case has been presented to the board. They'll decide what the next step will be. We are hoping that a wada test is next, but I'm afraid right now that the seizures are too deep in the left occipital lobe to operate. Larry did have five seizures on EEG...so he did really well for the doctors.

We'll be driving back home on Monday. We are SO ready for that. Thanks to everyone for your prayers. We feel really good about this week. First of all we survived it, second of all we did our best in trying to solve this and heal Larry. It was scary going into the situation, but we did it! We give the glory to God!

A special thanks to the staff here at the Epilepsy Center. Dr. Grewal and Dr. Van Ness were Larry's two main doctors and listened to us and explained things to us. The nurses adopted us and took care of us like you wouldn't believe. Thank you, Alie, Theresa, Claudia, Janette...you ladies were terrific. And then all the aides. I wish I knew the name of the girl who brought us our food and changed the linens. Her sweet smile and beautiful disposition always cheered us. For such an awful time of testing, our time here was a huge blessing. Also thanks to the Midlothian Baptist church. They sent little pillows to the patients on the 4th! We feel so blessed to have been here. We know whatever the doctors decide, it's God's Will and we followed it to the best of our ability.

We had a wonderful dinner last night, compliments of Larry's cousin Carol. She brought us some wonderful barbecue and homemade chocolate cake along with homemade TEA. The tea was heavenly after all the cokes I've been drinking this week! We also had a terrific visit with Carol. It's so nice to see a familiar face walk through the door!

Alex is doing wonderfully well with my parents, but we are wondering if the streak is about to end. He's really missing us and letting his grandparents know. We called to check on him this morning and mom relayed a story I thought was just precious. He asked Mom last night if we were still at the hospital. She replied we were. He then asked, "Will the doctors take Daddy's seizures away?" She said, "We hope so!" He then said very seriously, "I hope Daddy doesn't have any more of those siezures." What a precious child we have! I can hardly wait to hold him and hug him again.

We are waiting for the doctors to tell us if we are leaving today or tomorrow. We are going to push for today. ;-) We are just so ready to see Alex. We'll see what the doctors say. Larry's been pretty dizzy today with his meds, and has had one small seizure this morning. He's pretty wiped out today, too, but goodness, he can sleep in the car and then at my parents house! We'll see what they say. I'm hoping we'll have some results from the SPECT scan, too. I've been so impressed with other test results, that maybe we'll get these that fast, too!

I'll update more later if we find out anything. Hopefully the next thing I'll publish is that we are checking out of here! LOL

12:30 p.m. We just heard from the doctors. Larry needs just ONE more seizure! YAY! They will get that one on the SPECT scan so we can tell for sure where the seizures are happening. So far they are all consistently in the left lobe. We need to know for sure if they are in the temporal or occipital lobe, though. The EEG is just too broad to define that.

We found out we are pretty definitely staying through Sunday morning. Once they get the one seizure (which they will induce this afternoon with strobe), they’ll put him back on the Lamictal. They want him on that for 24 hours before releasing him. So either Saturday evening or Sunday morning we’ll be released.

This has been an interesting experience, to say the least. I think some of the staff think we’re quite warped. I have a tendency to joke with the nurses and staff during the seizures, just mainly from relief to have medical professionals there with me! It’s been nice not having to handle the seizures by myself, I must say. I’m apprehensive about what the next couple of weeks will hold for Larry, as every time they mess with his meds he has seizures for quite a while afterwards.

They finished his neuropsychological testing this morning, too. Larry told me a few of the questions they asked. I had no idea they’d ask him who Katherine the Great was! LOL They needed to find out what he currently knows I guess for the surgery candidacy. Weird, eh? They also had him choosing photos out of a line-up after viewing 20 photos. Memory tests, math tests, language skills tests, etc.

Oh! One other thing…we have learned that they will be increasing his Lamictal. He’s currently on 200 mg a day and they will be increasing that over the next 8 weeks to 400 mg a day. Hopefully he’ll have some control on that medication while we are studying the results of his tests and making decisions.

The staff and doctors have been wonderful here. I can’t sing their praises enough. They’ve absolutely bent over backwards for us and helped us so much. The only complaint I have is the cold showers. ;-) We’ll both be glad to get that first hot shower! I have no idea why the hot water doesn’t work, but it doesn’t even get to lukewarm. I shook from the cold for an hour after my shower last night!

I’ll update you after the scan if we learn anything new. They’ve ordered Larry to bed for now, so we’re playing some Skip-Bo trying to pass the time.

P.S. He had a seizure shortly after I started writing this in Word. It was about 1:30 when the seizure occurred and it was PERFECT. The nurse had the vial of radioactive dye They are about to take him down for the scan now. It’s been almost 2 hours since the seizure, but they said they had four hours.

PPS We’re now done with the scan and back in the room. We found out we get to leave TOMORROW! Not sure what time, so we aren’t sure if we’ll head right back to Temple or stay here one night in Dallas. We may get a hotel room and enjoy a nice hot shower and long sleep. <10 minutes later> Well, the doctor just came by and he’s saying Sunday morning more than likely because the Lamictal won’t be in his system fully until then. * sigh* Drat. Oh, well…we’ve survived worse, I’m sure! Carol, Larry’s cousin, is bringing us barbecue for dinner. I have a funny feeling Larry’s hospital dinner won’t be touched tonight! LOL

Where to begin! So much has happened in the past few hours that I have to share!

Larry has now had three seizures for the EEG and video. One of those was a grand mal, the others were the typical seizure for him. The doctors came and spoke to us this afternoon and shared the results of the MRI and EEG so far. The MRI shows scar tissue in the right temporal lobe. That is the FIRST time ever an MRI has shown scar tissue. So, I got one of my prayers answered. However, the EEG is showing the seizures are probably happening actually in the LEFT occipital lobe. The physical manifestations of the seizures imply the left occipital lobe, also. So…conflicting reports is not necessarily good. *sigh* The plan now is for Larry to have 4-5 more seizures and they want to perform a SPECT scan on him. During the seizure, they will inject him with radioactive dye and then transport him to some special machine to see where the blood is going in the brain. I had no idea that the blood did something different during a seizure! The SPECT scan is much better in that it is much more detailed than an EEG and can really pinpoint where a seizure is happening. Also, the EEG is showing seizure activity quite a bit after Larry begins exhibiting physical signs of the seizures. They are guessing at the moment that the seizure is happening deep inside the left occipital lobe and the EEG just doesn’t pick up on it for a bit because of how deep it is. I don’t know if that’s good or bad at this point. The SPECT scan will tell us more, we hope.

I think since Larry is “performing” we won’t have to do the sleep deprivation. I hope! That doesn’t just mean Larry gets sleep deprived! So far the phone and the strobe light have set him off. We plan to tell the nurse to make a call to the room without telling us to expect it. LOL It worked, so why not use it?! They don’t care HOW they start as long as they start. The one this afternoon almost went into a grand mal, but we think the Tegretol kept it under control. By the way, would whoever called this afternoon call us back? I didn’t recognize the voice, I’m sorry, because the phone threw him into a seizure and I was searching for the seizure button at the same time. I apologize, but it’s driving me nuts and I want to know who called! LOL

We had a wonderful afternoon visiting with family. We were surprised with a visit from Larry’s first cousin, William. We had a wonderful visit and I learned quite a bit about Larry I didn’t know! Didn’t think I’d learn something new about him 11 years into the relationship! LOL Shortly after William arrived, Larry’s Uncle Dennis and Aunt Anita arrived. I always love visiting with them and getting some of Aunt Anita’s professional opinion helped me make sense of what the doctors told us. It was wonderful to hear the stories they and William shared about Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell and the other uncles. Uncle Scott, I have to warn you that you got razzed just a bit. ;-) We love you, though. I *think* that was a unanimous decision. ;-)

We still don’t know when we are going home. We are still hoping for tomorrow afternoon/evening, but it depends on how the SPECT scans go and the neuropsychological testing goes. Larry’s currently answering 567 of the stupidest questions ever written. They are testing to see what he knows, did know, and I guess wants to know. LOL There are some pretty funny questions. The neuropsych doctor will be back tomorrow morning expecting those questions to be answered.

Love you all and thanks so much for your prayers.

After a fairly uneventful night, Larry managed to have a petit mal this morning. It was EXACTLY like he usually has. Praise God! Now for about 4-5 more!

He's up walking around more today after learning last night they worry about bloodclots in the legs. They made him wear a foot massager during the night that aggravated him. He wanted it off at one point last night and the "mean" nurse said, "You can either wear that annoying thing OR you can get a shot of Heparin in your stomach." He decided the booties weren't so bad. LOL He's sitting up today and walking around so he's not forced into that decision tonight. ;-) The resident doctor came in this morning and checked to see how Larry was doing. He wanted to see if the petit mal was a typical one. We thankfully said, "YES!" They are keeping him on the Tegretol for now. I just hope it doesn't stop the little seizures, too!

Well, better go. Larry's finishing picking out his meals for the next few days and we are going to play some Skip-Bo. Time for some mental stimulation already!

At about 7:45 tonight, Larry had another grand mal seizure. The EEG tech was doing the strobe test when it happened. The tech said that's the first time it's ever happened that fast. Larry told me later he actually had two seizures in a matter of minutes. The grand mal was worse than last night and I was very appreciative of the staff who came running when we pushed the seizure button. It took him about half an hour to be able to answer questions. He was pretty funny with the nurse. She appears to be Indian and has quite an accent. She asked him if he knew where he was. He responded with, "3-7-02." She shook her head "no" and asked again. He replied more insistently "3-7-02". Again she shook her head no and asked again. He then inquired "3-7-02?" I had to laugh a bit. He told me later, "But she was asking what day it was!" I replied, "No, she was asking where you were and you were still replying wrong even if she DID ask for the date."

He's very sore after having two grand mals in about 24 hours time. They did give him some Tegretol tonight. They aren't so interested in the grand mals as the petit mals that we are having trouble controlling. That was a relief to me. The doctor came in while he was convulsing to observe and asked me later, "This has nothing to do with taking him off his medicine, does it?" When I responded it didn't, and that his meds didn't seem to be stopping these grand mals, he gave him back the Tegretrol. He is now sleeping with the aid of some Tylenol for the killer headache he developed afterward. He said his neck is hurting pretty badly, too.

I guess we'll see what tomorrow will hold.

I made a final decision a bit ago. I'm closing my business down this week. I just don't have time to work on projects, or the inclination, honestly. Something much greater and more important his happening in this hospital room, and I plan to help my husband deal with that!

We have met with Dr. Van Ness and two colleagues this morning. They have decided to take Larry off his meds in order to induce seizures. They said one med will be out of his bloodstream in 2 days, the other in 3. So now we wait. I honestly don't think it will take long to get several seizures as he's had two in the past 24 hours. I guess we'll see if he's "used up" his "quota". ;-) He's hooked up to the EEG now and it's working properly. The video is also monitoring him. Funny story...I helped him out of bed so he could head to the bathroom. I didn't call the nurse (as I'd been told...I know!) because I didn't think anything was hooked up yet. So...I'm standing outside the door when I hear the whirring of the video cameras moving trying to figure out where Larry had gone! Yes, I've learned my lesson and will let the nurses know from now on! He had neuropsychological testing this afternoon. I was kicked out of the room, so didn't get to see it. I guess they thought I would help him too much. Ha. He tells me they had him putting blocks together and answering a ton of questions. He's still filling out a form the student left with him. After that, Dr. Allan, a nueurospsychologist met with us and asked more questions. We've answered more questions than we know answers for! I think we've described his seizures in every way imagineable, too! Of course, since he's been hooked up he hasn't had a single seizure!

I've been very impressed with the staff here. They are so very helpful. I think my only problem here is going to be the food. I went down to the cafeteria at lunch to get a bite, and they were serving liver and onions or fried chicken. I love liver and onions, but I have to be in the mood for it. And I really wasn't in the mood for fried foods, either. :p So what did I have, you ask? I went to McDonald's (downstairs IN the hospital!) and got chicken nuggets, fries and a coke. LOL Yeah, yeah...fried food. Larry's cousin totally understands and has told me she'll bring me dinner one night...something different from what I get here! I'm thinking CHINESE! YEAH! ;-)

I think Larry is almost finished with the questionnaire, so we are going to watch a movie. They have a small selection of movies here, and I think we'll talk Carol into bringing some others eventually. ;-)

Thanks for your prayers! We know that's what's helping us through this!

P.S. We got the results back from MawMaw's tests...it's NOT her heart! Praise God!! They've called a pulminary specialist in to check her out next. Haven't heard any further word about her situation, but she is feeling better and walking more! YAY! What a blessing!

With much confusion, we are finally in our room at Parkland. Because our maps and information packet didn't arrive before we left Carlsbad, we were trying to find the Epilepsy Center on our own. *sigh* Don't ask anyone where the Epilepsy Center is...they don't know! We left Jamie and Audra's agt 5:30 and got to Parkland around 6:25. It then took us another HOUR to find where we were supposed to be. Larry has had his MRI already and is now waiting for them to hook him up to the EEG. We answered a questionnaire that had the ODDEST questions, but we understand that Parkland is also the county hospital, so all those questions must be asked. The staff has been incredibly friendly through all this. I'm not sure where I'll be charging my laptop as I was just told I couldn't charge it in the dayroom (I'd been told before we came I could). I guess we'll just see how it goes!

We are in Dallas! Well, North Richland Hills to be exact. We are staying with our best friends, the Garners, in their new gorgeous home. It's nice to rub elbows with people like this. ;-)

We had a frustrating moment tonight. We went to dinner with Jamie and Audra at Chili's. A person behind us knocked over a metal chair and hit the concrete suddenly and loudly. Startled Larry into a seizure and it turned into a grand mal. Not fun. :( It was pretty bad and he was pretty much out of it for the rest of our dinner. He didn't eat anything, as the food came during the seizure. He's now lying down and going to bed. It wiped him out. It frightened Jamie and Audra's son Matt and even frightened Jamie and Audra. For all the years we've been friends, they've never seen Larry have a grand mal. THOSE aren't the ones he has trouble with! I know the guy who knocked over the chair did it accidentally, but after holding Larry's head for 3 minutes while he convulsed really made me angry at the guy. It totally wasn't his fault, but I just wanted to be angry at SOMEONE. It's so not fair that Larry, the best man I know on this earth, has to deal with this. I'm sorry, it's after it all happens that I get angry and sad and worried. I'm praying that the doctors can do something tomorrow. I told Jamie and Audra after it was over, "Dadgum Larry. You could have held off for 12 more hours till we were at the hospital!" Unfortunately, Larry still wasn't able to hear me at the time. I had to lighten the mood some!

I called Mom and Dad and let them know we'd made it okay. Dad told me Alex was upset that he couldn't watch his new Sponge Bob dvd. Dad couldn't figure out which button to push to make the dvd turn on. Alex informed him, "PawPaw, you just push the RIGHT button." Dad got a kick out of that. Alex was sad when we left, but I think he'll have fun. Tonight may be a challenge. I probably should go get Mom's cell phone out of our bedroom so it doesn't disturb Larry.

We head into the hospital tomorrow morning. We are to be there at 7. Thankfully we've heard from some people on the Epilepsy list who've "been there, done that" so we know a little bit more of what to expect. It's hard, though, because each epileptic is so different. Larry's case isn't as extreme as some we've talked to, but he's still going through the same testing.

I'll send out an e-mail tomorrow to family and friends of our direct phone number and our cell phone number. Thank you for remembering Larry in your prayers.

We made it to Temple an hour earlier than we expected! We made the trip from Amarillo to Temple in exactly 8 hours. What a relief! MawMaw is hanging in there. We were able to say good-bye to her this morning and spend a bit of time visiting. She is having a sonogram that will look at the back of her heart tomorrow afternoon. They will be putting her to sleep for the procedure, so please keep her in your prayers. Her blood pressure was back up in manageable range (it was around 90-something over 33 at one point yesterday!) and her sodium level is slowly climbing. It's now at 128...but needs to be above 135, from what I understand.

Larry and I are starting to prepare mentally for our stay in the hospital now that we've left Amarillo. Alex is thrilled to be left at my parent's like a "big boy." He's informed us that we need to pack and leave. Hate to tell him it ain't happening tonight! Mommy is exhausted and sleeping here! We'll leave sometime tomorrow afternoon for Dallas. Our main goal is to miss the rush hour. Besides that, we have no time table. I'm hoping to work some in the morning, but I may just try to sleep in a bit. I have a feeling neither Larry nor I will get much sleep at the hospital (sleep deprivation is one thing they use to induce seizures). We are looking forward to seeing many family members while in the hospital, provided Larry is able. We've told many that we'll call them and update them on his condition, so they'll know if he's up to visitation. I'm so thankful for how everyone loves Larry so much and are praying for him. We feel this testing is a big deal, but it's really comforting to have others realize and feel that!

Well, time to hit the hay! This writer is exhausted from our travels today!

We are now in Amarillo safe and sound. Larry's grandmother looked better than I expected. She's very tired and weak, but she's holding her own. :) We had a wonderful visit with her yesterday afternoon after we got in. We were able to take Larry's mom to dinner and then go back up to the hospital for an extended visit. Not much happening besides that. I'm checking e-mail and all that boring stuff! We have church this morning at 10:30 and then we'll probably head back up to the hospital.