August 23, 2013
Amelia is stumbling a lot and not very coordinated. She has trouble writing her name and sentences. I made an appointment to see a Pediatrician. He did several "tests" in the office....stand on one foot and touch your nose, walk in a line, answer these questions "how is milk different from water?" and "what is the difference between a cat and a dog?". Amelia had some trouble with those, not easily giving the answers as if it was a really tricky question. So the Dr. said she has "ataxia" and we should wait and see if it gets worse. We have an another appt. for 2 wks from today.She and I attended the Welcome Back Students event at the College of Education, and Amelia fell down twice just walking on the sidewalk. She is clearly not herself. She is kind of spacey and not really focusing on what she's doing. For dinner, the whole family went to Denny's and just getting in and out of the car is a challenge. I asked Matthew to help her walk and hold her hand so she didn't fall. Then in the restaurant, Amelia ordered Spaghetti. And watching her try to eat spaghetti with limited coordination was like a flashback to when she was 3 year old!
August 24, 2013
So all day I have been watching Amelia and worried. The Dr. said it will take some time to get over but he also said if it gets worse to call. So I called the "on-call" pediatrician and they said, "Is it getting worse?"...well, that's hard to say. She is definitely NOT getting better. How long do I watch my healthy, smart, coordinated 7-year-old deteriorate before I say, "ENOUGH!". Eventually, the on-call doc recommended we go to Carle Hospital Emergency Care because they have an MRI and a neurologist on-call. So headed off to the ER.
August 25, 2013
Whew, what a night. Amelia was a trooper when they installed the IV, now we are waiting for the MRI and a neurology consult. Very strange, she's been stumbling and slurring her words...and for the record, she hasn't been to any college parties.
Amelia is stumbling a lot and not very coordinated. She has trouble writing her name and sentences. I made an appointment to see a Pediatrician. He did several "tests" in the office....stand on one foot and touch your nose, walk in a line, answer these questions "how is milk different from water?" and "what is the difference between a cat and a dog?". Amelia had some trouble with those, not easily giving the answers as if it was a really tricky question. So the Dr. said she has "ataxia" and we should wait and see if it gets worse. We have an another appt. for 2 wks from today.She and I attended the Welcome Back Students event at the College of Education, and Amelia fell down twice just walking on the sidewalk. She is clearly not herself. She is kind of spacey and not really focusing on what she's doing. For dinner, the whole family went to Denny's and just getting in and out of the car is a challenge. I asked Matthew to help her walk and hold her hand so she didn't fall. Then in the restaurant, Amelia ordered Spaghetti. And watching her try to eat spaghetti with limited coordination was like a flashback to when she was 3 year old!
August 24, 2013
So all day I have been watching Amelia and worried. The Dr. said it will take some time to get over but he also said if it gets worse to call. So I called the "on-call" pediatrician and they said, "Is it getting worse?"...well, that's hard to say. She is definitely NOT getting better. How long do I watch my healthy, smart, coordinated 7-year-old deteriorate before I say, "ENOUGH!". Eventually, the on-call doc recommended we go to Carle Hospital Emergency Care because they have an MRI and a neurologist on-call. So headed off to the ER.
August 25, 2013
Whew, what a night. Amelia was a trooper when they installed the IV, now we are waiting for the MRI and a neurology consult. Very strange, she's been stumbling and slurring her words...and for the record, she hasn't been to any college parties.
August 26, 2013 from Todd -
Rough weekend with my 7 year old daughter in the hospital, suffering
from ataxia (stumbling/falling when walking, slurred speech, fine motor
skill difficulties, slow mental processing). CT and MRI scans were
clear, but no real answers to her condition. Hoping Monday, a pediatric
neuro consult, and more tests will bring some answers and a start down
the road to recovery. I will say she has been a trooper, as has Sarah Isaacs,
who has been with her every moment since being admitted Saturday
evening (and who went a little medieval on the poor nurse and doctor
when she felt they weren't providing info fast enough)!
August 26, 2013 10:13 am
Amelia is improving! The doctor and neurologist are saying it is a
post-strep infection in her brain. We have had a scary few days but
happy to see she is more alert and walking with less trouble. Maybe
even going home this evening.
August 26, 2013 4:33pm
We
are home. Amelia will continue to be out of school for awhile so she
can get more steady on her feet. Her speech & cognition issues
aren't improving much yet but they hopefully will soon.
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