Lucas is a champion

So, we're home from the hospital and words can't express how glad we are to be back. Dorothy had it right when she said there's no place like it. They have sent us home with a Rx for Tegretol, an anti-seizure medication. We are awaiting the call from Walgreens that it is ready for us to pick it up. Please pray with us that he does not suffer any damaging possible side effects such as liver damage/failure, bone marrow damage, or a rash. We'll be monitoring for signs and he will have regular blood work as well.

Here's the brief:
Lucas had what is called a focal or partial seizure affecting only a part of his body (vs. a generalized seizure affecting everything). His right hand and right foot were the involved appendages. They stopped his seizure in the ER at Children's hospital with medication after the seizure had lasted about 1 1/2 hours. (In the seizure world, 20 minutes is considered long and dangerous, but there are no signs that Lucas suffered any damage.)

He had an EEG (monitors brain activity) Friday, and they said that he was not actively seizing during the test. (There was a concern that he might be having multiple "subclinical" seizures that would be too small for us to notice just by watching his behavior, but now that has basically been entirely ruled out.) It also found some "abnormal delays" in parts of his brain. These were scattered on both the L and R sides. They also did a CT scan and found that there is an area where fluid is building up between the brain matter and the skull which shouldn't be there. They adjusted the flow rate on his shunt and we will follow up in a couple of weeks to make sure that fluid is moving back into the space where it is supposed to be. His CT also showed that his brain is continuing to expand, and That is a good thing!

Lucas is back to his normal, joyful, snuggly, chatty self again and has been since the Ativan they gave him to stop the seizure wore off. Whenever these situations come up, it amazes us that God continues to use this precious child to touch the lives of others with joy and peace. We also continue to meet other families who are seeing their little ones through tough times as well. This visit, our "roommate" was a little girl named Veronica who also has had hydrocephalus since the womb and she and her family appreciate your prayers as well.

We now have to reschedule his regular check up and shots for this week. He'll also get his first of 2 testosterone shots this week to prep him for his hypospadious surgery next month. We have some more pictures of Lucas to share with you, including a couple taken with the EEG leads all over his head. :) He just woke from a nap now so we'll get the pictures up later.

Thanks for all your love and prayers. Our faith has remained steady, but it is always nice to be encouraged by others too!