SuperGus

Yesterday at 10 in the morning, Gus had his first (and LAST, do you hear that Gus?) ambulance ride. He was enjoying his first time in a staff meeting with mama when he became limp, blue, and lost consciousness. In a room full of smart professionals, all the right things happened very quickly, including rescue breaths, a prompt summoning of the paramedics, and the instant appearance of a nursing faculty member who quickly assessed that Gus was having a seizure.

After spending the day in the hospital, this very terrified family learned that Gus had suffered a Febrile Seizure. Over that night and the next day, we also learned that the quick-rising fever that triggered the Febrile Seizure was caused by the childhood illness Roseola. We also found out that Gus' seizure was, more specifically, an Atypical Febrile Seizure, which simply means that Gus' seizure was not a perfectly classic presentation and so we must go to Children's Hospital of Seattle and have an EEG.

Febrile Seizures are benign (though absolutely horrifying) and do not cause brain damage. Gus has a 30% chance of suffering another seizure the next time he has a fever, and children with this tendency grow out of them by early childhood (around 3). His chances that he has an underlying seizure disorder that will persist through adulthood are increased by about a percentage point over the rest of the general population (so very low). The EEG will just make sure that the atypical presentation of the seizure was just that--not quite textbook--and reassure us that he is what we already know--perfect.

We owe a great deal to our smart and loving friends and colleagues who jumped into action and offered help and food over these last crazy two days. We want to reassure our friends and family that Gus is fine, feeling great, actually, and there is no reason to worry about our brave and happy kid. If you're learning about our adventure through this post, please know that we haven't had easy access to communication methods or time, but please call or email us with any questions.

Oh, and upon the arrival of his 13th birthday, Gus is immediately grounded for two weeks. You saw it in writing here.