Aqua Acupuncture Visit with Dr. Peace

On Monday June 21, Brady had a session of aqua acupuncture with Dr. Peace. He did well with it. There were one or two "touchy" places when she injected the needle but he managed to make it. :)

He must feel amazing after a treatment because it sure does show in his appearance. His eyes sparkle and he smiles a huge smile. He looks so happy and bright and alert.

His next appointment with her is Monday, July 12. I always look forward to it because it makes him feel so good.

Thank you Dr. Peace!

Happy Update :)

Things are going well...Brady is doing well and feeling well. He is himself these days and hopefully he is on another good streak now. I still have not been able to bring myself to apply the Frontline Top Spot on him. I'll will give it more time, until he has been seizure-free longer. He goes for his next session of aqua acupuncture with Dr. Peace on Monday, June 21. That is something we always look forward to and it's a very good thing for him.

"May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us." Psalms 67:1

Frontline Top Spot: decisions, decisions

Yesterday I wrote to Dr. Jean Dodds, her website is www.hemopet.org, asking if Frontline Top Spot is safe for epileptic dogs. Her response to me was, "It should be safe – although one never knows until you try it."

I have been reluctant to apply it to Brady, but will soon probably have too. We did find a tick on him filled with blood. I worry about seizure triggers, but at the same time worry about him getting Lyme disease, not to mention a flea infestation. I have heard that there are many cases of it out there this year. I have used it on him in the past so it should be okay. It's just that with all he has been through recently, the decision to apply the Frontline Top Spot has been difficult. I have read that Frontline Top Spot is a safer alternative to Frontline Plus for epi-dogs since it doesn't contain as many chemicals. Still it seems to me that it is a double-edge sword decision to make.

The decision to apply it hasn't come lightly, but contracting Lyme disease would only add to his issues.

Follow-up on Brady

I spoke with Dr. Katherman on Monday, 6/7/10, and we are going to monitor him for now and see what his trend will be from here forward. If there is another seizure, we will schedule him in for blood work to see if his drug levels have dropped. He is back on his normal phenobarbital dose, which is 2 tablets of 32.4 mg twice per day=129.6 mg daily total, instead of 1 tablet of 60 mg=120 mg daily total that he had taken for 7 days. And of course, he is still on all of the other medications. Dr. Katherman said that the difference in milligrams could possibly have caused the two breakthrough seizures and possibly it was not the cause of them. I spoke with a pharmacist at Rite Aid and it was his opinion that a difference of 10 mg (9.6) per day is a lot.

Brady also had his acupuncture session with Dr. Peace on Monday night, 6/7/10. It was a great session and when we returned home he was very peaceful and calm. He had a wonderful night of restful, peaceful sleep. We will be doubling his Chinese herbal supplement, Din Tan Tang, for 2 weeks.

Thank you Dear Lord for watching over him and protecting him. Please continue to keep him under your loving care. I pray that the seizure monsters will stay away.

Second Seizure 6-5-10 at 8 pm

Brady had a second seizure at 8 pm on June 5th. This one lasted 90 seconds. This seizure seemed more severe than the previous one at 12:14 am. His face was contorted and the convulsions seemed to be worse. There was excessive drooling and this time he lost bladder control. Afterwards he was ravenous and somewhat uncoordinated. He was unsettled and wanted to pace. By 10 pm, he was resting well and comfortably. Once the convulsions stopped I inserted a valium suppository and gave him 3 droppers of Rescue Remedy. After he was on his feet and fully aware of his surroundings, I gave him a small amount of vanilla ice cream.

Usually once he has a seizure after a break from them, another one will follow within a 24 hour period. This time it was approximately 20 hours between seizures. Hopefully, the cycle has been broken and there will be no further seizure activity.

Thank you dear God for watching over him and keeping him safe during the seizure and for a good recovery. We pray that we can have another good seizure free streak.

"For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go." ~~ Psalm 91:11 NLT

A seizure occurred after 91 days of freedom from this horrible disease called epilepsy

Much to my disappointment, I have to report that Brady had a seizure this morning at 12:14 am. Sadly, this ended his 91 day seizure-free streak.
It was a grand mal, however, the severity of it seemed less than in the past. For this we are very thankful. The seizure itself last about a minute. Once the convulsing stopped I inserted a valium suppository and gave him 3 droppers of Rescue Remedy. Within several minutes, by 12:18am, he was up on his feet and appeared to be fine. There was no pacing afterwards and he seemed to have his bearings as soon as he was on his feet. We are thankful not only that it was less severe and relatively short, but we are also thankful that he had a very quick recovery. He ate 1/2 cup of food, 1/4 at a time and was able to settle down and rest soon after.

On May 29th, his phenobarbital dose changed from 64.8 mg twice daily to 60 mg twice daily.
Dr. Katherman assured me that this small change in milligrams (which was a difference of 9.6mg a day) would not make a difference when I called to question this. Apparently, however, it was enough of a difference to cause a breakthrough seizure. He has been on the 60 mg tablet for a week, but as of tonight his dose will go back to 64.8 mg twice per day=129.6 mg per day instead of the 120 mg that he had been taking for a week.

With the restart of the clock, our prayers are that he will be able to maintain another long seizure-free stretch.

*Note: the reason for the change in milligrams was because when Dr. Slayman called a new prescription in to the pharmacy, she called in 60 mg (one tablet twice per day)
instead of 32.4 mg (two tablets twice per day). Evidently she did this so there would be less tablets for him to have to take. But honestly, he is taking so many pills, that one extra is not a worry.

Happy Update : )

Things continue to go well for Brady. As of today he is 91 days seizure free and we pray that he will continue to hold this great pattern. I have to admit when I think of him having those awful seizures, it makes me feel queasy. I can't thank God enough that he is doing so well. Brady had his third acupuncture session with Dr. Peace on May 24th and will have a fourth on June 7th.
He is feeling great and life is good. :)

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in sun-scorched land...You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. ~~Isaiah 58:11 NIV