My worst nightmare: Max had a seizure

A YouTube video of a child's foot during a focal seizure.

My biggest concern for today was whether or not Sabrina was OK; she started complaining yesterday that her throat (or "froat," as she calls it) was hurting. Dave was going to bring her to the doctor.

Both kids woke up in the middle of the night, and Dave took them downstairs for a half hour or so since they were wired. Then they all came back to bed and fell asleep. At about 6:30 a.m., Max woke up, screaming, a look of terror across his face. I don't think I'll ever forget that look. Dave grabbed him. And suddenly, we were reliving that time four years ago when Max last had a seizure. "MAX! MAX! MAX!" Dave was shouting, sounding panicked. Max's entire body was rigid, his left foot was twitching, he was staring fixedly at one spot. He was not responding. I called 911. Sabrina started crying. Dave ran downstairs with Max. I followed—still on the phone with 911—carrying Sabrina, then grabbed the Diastat injection we had on hand in case of seizures.

I was about to use it when Max's body relaxed and he stopped twitching. It all lasted about two minutes. The ambulance showed up, but the two medics didn't have much to say; we knew it would be better to bring Max to the neurologist who knows his history, rather than the ER.

We asked Max if he was OK. He nodded weakly, but he was so woozy. After that, he lay in Dave's arms on the sofa, limp. Then I cuddled him and he fell asleep on me for a half hour. By 8:00 a.m., he was up and back to his usual self.

I wasn't. You know I've said before that I'm terrified of seizures, a fear that I know many of you have about your own kids. Well, it happened. The last kind was a grand mal that went on for a good 45 minutes, so at least this one was shorter. But. Still. HORRIBLE.

I had to go to work, and it pained me to not be there for Max. Dave took him to the neurologist, who said Max looked fine. He said that it was the sleep deprivation that triggered a seizure—evidently, it can override the medication. It was a focal (or partial) seizure. Our neuro upped the medication from a teaspoon of Trileptal twice a day to a teaspoon and a half twice a day; he said the only change we might see is that Max could be sluggish for three days, until his body adapts.

Max is fine now, but this has shaken me to the core. Oh, and Sabrina has strep.

I know I've griped about the kids sleeping in our bed, but I have to say, it's a good thing Dave and I were right there so we could see the seizure and act on it.

I just pray, with the increased medication, it won't happen again. The silver lining is that Friday, we take off for the Disney Cruise, so it's good this happened now instead of then. Can you imagine if Max had a seizure on the cruise? Obviously, they'd have a doctor on the ship but I keep thinking, Dr. Mickey to the rescue?!