You Get What You Ask For......

If you look at the "Title" of my last post and then read this, it will make a lot of sense!
We went to the brain doctor (as Darby likes to call him) today. Now, I've told you all before how weird (in a goofy kind of way) he is. Well, I've actually forgotten how compassionate and sensitive to Scott's and my beliefs/feelings he is. You all know that Darby started an anticonvulsant in December last year. We've had really good luck in the fact that she's been seizure free, but also migraine free. She had been having some migraines that really knocked her on her hiney and they were starting to happen more frequently. So, that's really exciting but she's picked up two of the side effects that we're not crazy about - weight gain and irritability. We are really watching her with food (trying really hard not to be obvious about it and turn it into a complex - remember I'm already setting my children up for much-needed therapy when they are adults) but the irritability is almost more than we can handle. She's a girl and she's moody, but this is almost like everybody/thing gets on her nerves ALL of the time. We are looking into another medication that could possibly get rid of some of these side effects. (Am I the only one who didn't know that they treat epilepsy and bipolar with all of the same medications?) The yucky news is that Darby may be having a different type of seizures now. When she wakes up in the morning or after a nap the right side of her face is fallen (almost like a stroke). It usually takes less than a half an hour for it to get back to normal. It's not happening all of the time but she was sick this weekend and it was a lot more noticable. She's also having some twitching on the right side of her mouth - another type of seizure. This totally sucks. So, we're going on the 18th to have an EEG done (a study on how the brain of a 7 year old works- ha!). It's a sleep deprived EEG which means that the night before she will go to bed at midnight and we have to wake her up at 4 a.m. and keep her awake until her appointment at 1 that afternoon. She can't even fall asleep in the car on the way there or they may have to reschedule it. And she's not allowed any caffeine so we can't even cheat! I'm collecting ideas on what to do with a 7 year old at 4 o'clock in the morning that will keep her moving. I've started the list with hanging out at anything that starts with "Wal" and is open 24 hours. Who isn't in the mood for shopping at that time of the morning!?!? :)
*Warning: I'm about to get emotional* I was sitting in his office reading some of the literature about epilepsy and I don't think I've ever really sat down and absorbed that Darby is an epileptic. It sucks. To think about the things she may not ever get to do - riding certain rides at amusement parks, attend concerts with strobe lights without having to cover her eyes, all the way to the fact that because of the law - she may not be allowed to drive. I pray so hard that she'll be one of the lucky ones who really does outgrow this. I pray that this next test will go well and that they won't find any new abnormalities. I pray that she remembers her childhood as fun and laughter and not medications and MRI's. I know it could be much worse and I know that compared to the things other people are going through, this may seem like nothing. But, if I could change it for her, I would. Please pray for strength and wisdom for Scott and I as we walk this path. We really, really want to do the right thing for her and some days it feels like we're just not qualified enough.