The Seizure

This morning I got up for church and got ready like I would on any other Sunday. Our ward starts at 11:00 so I ate breakfast at about 9:00. Right before I left I grabbed a plastic baggy and filled it up with Honey Comb cereal. We headed out the door at about 10:35 so Tyson could start the organ prelude for sacrament meeting. The day continued like any other: active primary kids, games and learning...

We only had three little Sunbeams in our class today. All the boys were gone, so we had three of the four girls in our class. The lesson went well ("I Am Grateful for the Day and Night" - I love these lessons!) and the girls had fun learning about the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. We got all the playdoh put away when at about 1:50ish I turned to Tyson and told him I didn't feel well. I figured I just needed to eat something since all I'd had since 9:00 was dry cereal. Very soon after that I started feeling hot, weak, and a little dizzy. I told Tyson we needed to go and that I wasn't feeling very well at all. So he grabbed the role folder and went out to give it to the primary secretary. Right after he left I felt extremely dizzy and the room began to spin. The next thing I knew Tyson was standing above me yelling my name and telling me to wake up. With blurred vision I could see three little faces staring at me. He then took the three girls and walked them over to the classroom next door.

When he came back he said,

"You just had a seizure."

I've never had a seizure before. I was terrified, worried, embarassed...My hands were super sweaty along with my forehead and everywhere else. Tyson said that when he came back into the room after giving the role to the secretary I was slouched in my chair making weird noises and convulsing. I couldn't believe it! Why would I have a seizure?

He helped me out to the car, and all I could think about was how the baby was doing. I was thinking about the worst case scenario-how I would have to go to the hospital and they'd tell me the baby was in distress so they'd have to get him out...What a nightmare. So we got home and I started changing my clothes as Tyson was calling the doctor to see if I needed to go to the hospital. He ended up talking to the PA at my doctor's office (who is also a friend of mine) and told him what happened.

Scott (the PA) told him it sounded like I was lacking in fluids and wasn't getting enough water. But he had never heard of that leading to a seizure. His advice was to most likely go to the hosptial. At this point I was still feeling dizzy. Scott was going to call Dr. Leavitt and would call us right back. Tyson got me water and juice, then Scott quickly returned Tyson's call. Dr. Leavitt told him that I needed to be drinking more water and not going so long without food. He explained how the baby is getting much bigger and requiring a lot more water and oxygen. And I'm also pumping 50% more blood. So if I'm not drinking enough water and eating enough, the baby will take everything he needs and I won't be left with anything. Which was what happened to me. My brain was lacking oxygen because all I had went to the baby, which led to a seizure. I now needed to get plenty of fluids and eat some serious calories to get my blood sugar levels back to where they needed to be. If I have another seizure I need to get right to the hospital. And as far as church and work go, I need to start bringing a water bottle and "real food" like a sandwich or something. Not a baggy of dry cereal.

That was five hours ago. So far I haven't had another seizure and have been drinking a lot of water. Tyson got me something to eat and has been keeping a close eye on me ever since. He's such a great husband!

It was a very scary experience today. I felt bad for Tyson and the girls in our class. But he reassured me that the girls were pretty involved with the conversation during the seizure and didn't notice anything till he started yelling at me. As for him...he's just begging me never to do that again. Apparently I "scared the crap" out of him. I told him I'd do my best not to have another one.

And Baby Miller has been doing just fine. He's been kicking and moving around like usual. What a relief!

My final note is this:

For all you pregnant friends and family out there, make sure you're getting your 8-10 glasses of water a day! They're not kidding when they say that it's important to get enough water. It took a seizure for me to realize that I need to take water more seriously. The baby is going to be getting everything he or she needs whether you're getting enough or not. Good for the baby, yes, but mom needs enough too. And make sure to eat throughout the day. Don't go too long without food! I was dumb to not drink enough water. I hope you all are smarter than I am!

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{PS I also want to thank all of you who have called and stopped by today after our crazy ordeal! I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me. You're wonderful!}