Acupuncture today : )

Today is Brady's acupuncture appointment with Dr. Peace which is something that both he and I always look  forward to because it helps him so much. He's been doing great since his last cluster back on January 24th.
Brady has been playing ball alot and loving it. Lately, he's been really active which is a wonderful thing.  After his last episode of cluster seizures, Dr. Katherman, his vet neurologist increased his keppra to 500 mg 3 times per day. This was an increase from 375 mg 3 times per day. All of his other meds have remained at the same dose. He's doing amazingly well and is tolerating the increase of keppra with no problems. Keep up the good work, sweet boy. We love you! : )

Seizure Monster Appears : (

This time around Brady was able to get a 38 day seizure free stretch. All had been going extremely well until last night, January 23, 2011, when at 11:20 pm Brady suffered a grand mal seizure. It last last approximately a minute to a minute and a half. All said and done, he was on his feet and aware of his surroundings in 4 minutes. This was fefinitely a full blown grand mal. As soon as the thrashing and convulsing ceased I inserted a valium suppository.  With this seizure there was little or no postictal phase.  (TO BE CON"T)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all. We have enjoyed a quiet, relaxing and blessed Christmas. Brady is doing well since his last episode nine days ago. At the recommendation of Dr. Katherman, his phenobarbital was increased and all is well. He has been tolerating the increase well. He will have phenobarb levels checked on Thursday, December 30.  His acupuncture session with Dr. Peace was on December 20 and he greatly benefited from that. We pray that he is on another long seizure free stretch.

Rough Nite for Brady

On December 15, 2010 at 11:37 pm, the seizure monster reared it's ugly head and Brady had a grand mal seizure. His last seizure was on August 1st; 136 days, 18 hours and 47 minutes ago. This equals 4.5 months, which is the longest amount of time that he has been seizure free since last year. It is so terribly disappointing to see him have seizure activity after such a wonderful long streak of peacefulness. But at the same time we are extremely thankful that he was able to go for such a long stretch without any episodes. The seizure began at 11:37 pm with convulsions and thrashing and a lot of drool. There was no loss of urine or stool. At 11:40 pm, the thrashing stopped and Brady laid there as still as could be. Jeff was gently massaging his head as I inserted the rectal suppository of valium. By 11:44pm Brady was up on his feet. It seemed that he laid there so calmly and still after the seizure was over a little longer than normal. I remember thinking when is he going to get up?  Once up, he seemed to recover fairly quickly although at the time he was pacing and unsteady on his feet. He was also ravenous. Once I realized that he was okay, I gave him some rescue remedy and also a cup of food. It was really hard for him to settle down afterwards and in about 20 minutes or so, Brady began to whine. We thought that this was possibly due to him needing to go out and potty. Jeff took him out to relieve himself, so, of course, the valium suppository came out as there had not been enough time for it to dissolve. After his potty break, I gave him some plain yogurt with two scoops of di tan tang and one scoop of bu xi xue feng mixed in. These are the two Chinese herbs that he takes each day.
At 12:41 am Brady started to contort his face and clench his teeth together and what looked like another grand mal was beginning. However, thankfully, this was only a focal and did not become a gm. There was no thrashing and it was over within a matter of seconds.
During the next half hour after this focal, it was hard for Brady to settle down so Jeff decided to take him outside and let him walk around on leash for a bit. This seemed to help matters so we tried to doze off, but at 1:19 am another focal started which lasted only a few seconds. Same thing...his teeth were clenching and his jaws were snapping with facial contortions. But again there were no convulsions or thrashing. It seemed to me that every time Brady would dry to doze off, another focal would occur. Another one came on at 1:24 am; Jeff estimated that this one lasted 20 seconds. We were so thankful that these focal seizures were not grand mal seizures, but why wouldn't this cluster of focals end?! I was beginning to be really worried. Things settled down for just a bit, but once again at 2:09 am another focal took place. This one was less than a minute; it had the same characteristics as the others, but seemed a few seconds longer. This made 4 focal in a relatively short amount of time. At 2:18am, my mind was racing. I decided that I should insert another valium suppository. Once this was done, things remained calm and no more seizures occurred. Thank you God!
I assume that the valium suppository broke this series of clusters. I just wish I had thought of it sooner before four focals had occurred. The good thing is that Brady made a quick recovery after each seizure. Once this suppository went in, it seemed that he immediately was able to rest. Everything was peaceful and calm until 7am when the alarm went off to give Brady his morning medication. Brady appeared to be fine and none the worse for wear after the night he had. We couldn't say the same for ourselves. He took his meds, had his breakfast and went out to relieve himself as normal. We didn't go for our daily walk due to the snowfall. Hopefully, it is over and now the clock will start over again.
I phoned Dr. Katherman to inform her of what had occurred overnight. Her initial feeling was that Brady's phenobarbital level has probably dropped due to his liver metabolizing it so fast. Her recommendation was to increase his phenobarbital by a half a pill morning and night. He will be getting 81 mg twice per day for a daily total of 162 mg instead of 64.8 mg twice per day = 129.6 mg daily. He will be getting 16.2 mg more per dose and 32.4 mg more per day.
Brady has an appointment with Dr. Katherman in two weeks on Thursday, December 30th, to check a trough level of phenobarbital to insure that we haven't taken the dose up too high.

Never give up hope!

A year ago today things were looking very bleak for Brady. His epilepsy was getting worse and over a period of months it became extremely hard to control his seizures. Ultimately there was no control. It was on this day last year that he finally got in to see a neurologist. That was a turning point for him. And now with the help of some new conventional anti-seizure medications and Traditional Chinese Medicine, he is doing fantastic! Thank you God! Never give up hope!

Christmas Picture of Riverdogs

Today I took a group Christmas picture of our babies, a.k.a. the Riverdogs. Everyone wore their Christmas bows with pride and behaved really well during our 'photo shoot'. What naturals!

From left to right: Gracie, Shelby, Brady and Zach. I'm really pleased with how patient all four were with me as I snapped away. : )

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, harmony and good health!

Good news update

Things continue to go well for Brady. He had his acupuncture session last night with Dr. Peace and loved it! : )
He has truly come to look so forward to his sessions with Dr. Peace. He went a little longer between acupuncture sessions this time since Dr. Peace had the flu last week and needed to reschedule our visit. It's good to know that going 4 weeks is okay, but I feel more at ease and comfortable leaving our visits at intervals of 3 weeks. So we'll see her again on December 20th. Keep up the good work sweet Brady!

Thank you dear Lord for watching over us and wrapping us in your love.

Life is Good

I haven't posted in a long time, I know, but the great news is that Brady has been seizure-free since my last posting! We are so thankful and encouraged by this long stretch without any episodes and pray that it will continue. Brady is doing really well; he is still on all of his medications and 2 Chinese herbals (since April '10)
and continues to receive aqua-acupuncture every 3 weeks. Tonight is his appointment to get acupuncture and he has really come to look forward to each session. Dr. Peace is great to him and has been a God send for him and for us. Since my last posting, Brady turned 11 years old on September 28, 2010. He still loves to go for daily walks, chases his tennis ball every chance he gets, absolutely loves car rides, and of course soaks up being spoiled rotten. He is definitely loving life and living it to the fullest. : )
Thank You God!

Appointment with Dr. Katherman

On Thursday, August 5th, Brady has an appointment to see Dr. Katherman for a physical exam and some blood work. She suspects that his phenobarbital level has probably dropped below therapeutic range due to how quickly the liver metabolizes it out of the body. Therefore, tweaking this drug may be in order. We will wait for the results and post what we find out.

Brady has been doing really well since this recent bout of seizures on Sunday. He is looking bright and alert and doesn't seemed to have suffered any ill effects. Thank you dear Lord for watching over him and all of us.

Seizure Monster Pays A Visit

On Sunday, August 1, 2010, at 2:18 am the awful seizure monster paid a visit. It had been 56 days and 6 hours since Brady's last seizure. He had a grand mal at 2:18 am that lasted about a minute or maybe a little less. This one was typical of his previous seizure on 6-5-10. Possibly there was less thrashing or it could have been because Jeff was holding him close on his bed. There did seem to be less drool. Recovery was quick and he was on his feet by 2:22 am. Once the seizure was over and before he stood up, I inserted a valium suppository. As I was going into the kitchen to get him a cup of kibble afterwards, he had another focal seizure. At first, Jeff thought he was getting ready to go into another grand mal. However, he didn't go into a full blown seizure, but did have a partial or focal seizure which was over quickly. This happened at 2:30 am and again he had a quick recovery. I gave him a cup of food (one half cup at a time because he devours it so fast, I am always afraid that he will choke) and some rescue remedy on a piece of bread. We took him out to use the bathroom and while we were in the garage I gave him a small bit of vanilla ice cream.
We went back to the bedroom to try to get him to settle down and hopefully go back to sleep. I don't think I ever really slept, but dozed off for short spurts. At 4:30 am I heard him and turned the lamp on dim. He was on my side of the bed on the floor. I knelt down in the floor with him and he was having another focal. This involved eye blinking and face twitching and contorting. He appeared to be blind momentarily. This seemed to be over very quickly and probably only lasted about 30 seconds.
Once again we tried to get settled and go back to sleep. At 5 am the alarm sounded....time for Jeff to get up and get ready for work. Brady got on the bed with me and we went to sleep. At 6:46 am he went into another grand mal seizure. It was pretty much the same as the one at 2 am. It lasted a minute, possibly a little less (our bedside clock is digital and doesn't show seconds). Once the thrashing stopped, I quickly put him on his bed in the floor and ran to the fridge to get another valium suppository. I inserted it and he was on his feet by 6:50 am. Once again he made a quick recovery. Once he had come around, I gave him his morning dose of medications.

All is Well

Today is my husband's and Brady's dad's birthday. We want to wish him a very Happy Birthday and many, many more! Thank you for being the world's best husband and dad to all of our 4 legged babies!

Things are going great for Brady. We are hoping and praying as always that this good trend will continue for him. He looks great and feels great, especially after an acupuncture session with Dr. Peace. His last session with her was just a few days ago on Monday, July 12th. Thank you Dr. Peace for taking such great care of him and all that you do. His medications and Chinese Herbals remain the same.

Psalm 91:4
"He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection."

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

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine: "For further reading on TCM, the following books are highly recommended:
Four Paws Five Directions (by: Cheryl Schwartz, DVM)
The Well Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure (by: Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis)
Canine Acupressure: A treatment workbook (by: Nancy Zidonis and Marie Soderberg)
Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine: Principles and Practice (edited by Allen M Schoen DVM and Susan G. Wynn DVM)
Veterinary Acupuncture: Ancient Art to Modern Medicine (edited by Allen Schoen)
Veterinary Acupuncture: (by: Klide and Kung)

Some sites on the Internet you might like to peruse that deal mainly with veterinary acupuncture:

http://users.med.auth.gr/~karanik/english/veter.htm
http://www.altvetmed.com/acupunct.html
http://www.msnbc.com/news/185564.asp
http://users.med.auth.gr/~karanik/english/webjour.htm

Human Acupuncture
http://www.acupuncture.com/"

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine: "The root cause for the occurrence and development of disease in Chinese medicine is imbalance between Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are opposite forces, that when balanced, work together. Examples of Yin are water, passive, slow, night, and moon. Examples of Yang are fire, active, fast, day, and sun.


Chinese Medicine acknowledges several causes for disease.

External causes include wind, cold, damp, dryness, and heat. Wind includes things such as air conditioning, and some say it also includes microwaves, and radiation. The source of the external cause does not have to be a natural source. Internal causes are known as the, ÄúSeven Emotions,Äù. The emotions are anger, joy, grief, fear, worry, and anxiety. There is disagreement in various translations on what the exact 'Seven Emotions' are, but these six are pretty constant. Other causes of disease include constitution, diet, exercise, rest, and trauma.

In TCM seizures are often caused by heat generated by the liver, which generates wind, which causes the seizure. (The image of someone caught up in a wind storm might help explain that terminology.) Seizures can also commonly be caused by imbalances in the heart meridian. Deficient Kidney Yin can also play a role. If Kidney Yin is low, Yang is dominant, and heat is Yang. It is important to treat the Liver Heat, (or Heart, depending on the diagnosis), but also to work to bring the Kidney Yin back up, and in balance with Kidney Yang. The Kidneys, in TCM, are Water. Water helps Wood, (Liver), and hinders Fire (Heart), so if the Kidneys are out of balance, that could be a factor in the Liver or Heart imbalances that trigger seizures. By using the various methods of diagnosing imbalances, a practioner will be able to detemine the imbalances that need to be treated in any individual, and the best method for treating those imbalances."