Rayden's Reason
Welcome to Rayden's page. Here you will find a story of our sons journey with Spina Bifida. There have been many challenges and struggles through the years but it's been worth it! I have tried to keep this blog updated. It might be easier to navigate by using the side bar and looking for specific dates or posts. You can even use the search engine for something specific. I welcome comments as well.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Monday, September 9, 2024
September 9 & 15, 2024 " Two more seizures, #18 & 19""
Sept. 4 I had a phone conference with Dr. Mary Ann Chiodo, pediatrician, about Rayden waking up scared several times throughout the night. He's been real agitated and moody lately, and falling asleep in class as well. I was wondering if we needed to increase his ADHD/anxiety medication.
Sept. 9 Rayden had another seizure today after school. He was sitting on the sofa and started screaming, this unbelievable, agonizing scream! He was holding the right side of his head. His eyes were glassy and he was gagging like he was going to vomit. He was alert and able to talk a tiny bit but then he quickly clinched his teeth and started convulsing. I gave him the Valtoco within 2 min of onset (as soon as I could grab it and get it open). He was on his side and stopped breathing. Michael called 911 while I did sternum rub and kept telling him I was here and he was ok. His lips turned blue, but he came out of it pretty quickly. The paramedics checked him out and he was ok. This is the first one since Nov. 4.Sept. 11 Rayden got written up in school today for hitting a little girl two times on her head with an ipad! He was trying to talk to her, and got upset when she didn't respond. This is definitely not normal behavior for him. Luckily, the little girl wasn't hurt. She didn't cry or even tell the teacher. The teacher just happened to see it herself. I made him write her an apology letter, verbally apologize to her and his teacher, and took his ipad away for an entire week. He seemed to understand why he was being punished and accepted it.
I began researching the symptoms he was having before the seizure. I found that a prodrome (beginning phases of a seizure) is a feeling people have prior to experiencing a seizure. This may happen weeks or days before a seizure. It can include unusual sensations or emotions, a sense of extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, mood changes, anxiety, light-headedness, difficulty focusing, and behavior changes. That explains everything!!
Sept. 15 Rayden had another seizure tonight. We were finishing up a movie before bed, he was laying on the couch, and had fallen asleep. I heard a noise and looked over to she him convulsing. I yelled his name, but, of course, no answer. He had foam (liquid) coming out of his mouth and nose! I gave the Valtoco and Alex called 911. His seizure watch did not work! Luckily we were sitting right there and saw it. What if he was already in bed and I didn't know? This terrifies me. He slept with us the remainder of the week until his neurologist decided to increase his medication.
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
July 18, 2024 "Miracle League"
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
July 13, 2024 "Summer Happenings"
June 8 Rayden has been asking to help Daddy and Alex with the yard work for a while now. This kid has always loved to help work! I'm sure it will subside one day, but for now, we encourage his determination. We don't feel comfortable with him using the lawn mower or weed eater yet, so we bought him a light weight leaf blower. He could hardly wait to get out there and blow the grass clippings off the driveway. He 'had' to have safety glasses, and ear buds like Daddy and Alex too!
Saturday, April 20, 2024
May 18, 2024 "Spring Happenings"
Rayden is one busy fellow! We are working hard to make memories and focus on the joys of life.
April 8-Solar Eclipse |
Total Solar Eclipse |
April 10 Special Olympics |
April 13 Judging Shriner's Clown Competition |
April 19 Playground Fun |
May 2 Field Day |
May 18 Gobbles & Grunts Fun Day |
Rayden has actually been feeling really good since we returned from Disney World. He no longer complains every day about his legs/back hurting. He doesn't ask for his wheelchair. It seems as if his pain is gone. Therefore, we decided to cancel his tethered cord surgery in June. Thank you God for answering our prayers. 💙
April 6, 2024 "Turkey Hunt"
Rayden harvested his very first turkey this morning! It’s a fabulous bird too! Thanks so much to Kitty Fork Outdoors, Jeff and Dana Jones, Gerome Heath, Ty Hunter, Hunter Britt and Alex. Everyone put their heart and prayers into this hunt and we can’t thank them all enough!
You can feel the excitement of everyone in the blind when this Tom turkey came running toward the decoy. He put on a good show, attacking the decoy over and over with his giant spurs. The guys tried to be so quiet loading the gun, that when Rayden tried to take the shot it didn't fire properly. This happened several times. Even though the turkey heard the clicks, he never left! It was like God told this Tom he was going to be Rayden's trophy today, no matter what, so he just waited. When Rayden fired the shot, the turkey jumped up and tried to fly to the woods. He only made it to the edge before landing. Another Tom turkey came running toward him. When Hunter and Ty got to the shot turkey, he was being attacked by the second Tom! Rayden, Alex, and Uncle G were sitting at the blind waiting for the results. When they held up Rayden's trophy turkey, he couldn't contain his excitement. He began to run across the field. Of course, this wasn't very successful, so Alex picked him up and carried him over to see his kill. Everyone was bubbling with pride!
After taking some measurements, and pictures at Jeff and Dana Jones house, we decided to drive Rayden and his prize turkey to Greenville for the 2024 Youth Pirate Classic.
WINNER, WINNER!!! Rayden’s Turkey won 9th place out of 61 over all. He was the 4th heaviest bird!! (286 kids signed up)
March 9-12, 2024 "Iguana Hunting and Peacock Bass Fishing"
March 1-8, 2024 "Disney Vacation"
We were worried about Rayden driving a scooter around in such large crowds, but we certainly didn't want to push him the entire time either. He wasn't old enough to drive Disney's scooters, so we brought Nanny's personal one instead. He was a remarkable driver. He followed me around, drove slowly, and didn't run into anyone...but me!
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
February 27, 2014 "Shriner's telemedicine visit"
Rayden and I had a telemedicine visit with Dr. Marcus Cox, PA at Shriner's Children's Hospital in Greenville, SC. After reviewing his medical history and reason for making the appointment, he examined Rayden's back as best he could through the computer screen. He said there was no evidence of skin or wound breakdown at his closure/scar. He watched Rayden walk across the room and said he has a reciprocating heel toe gait with neutral foot progression angles using his twister cables. He also said he has a moderate amount of trendelenburg (sway from side to side) due to weak hip abductors. He recommended bringing Rayden into the Spina Bifida clinic for an evaluation with orthopedics and neurosurgery, particularly to get a second opinion regarding the treatment of his tethered cord. He discussed that given the logistical and insurance issues, it is unlikely that they could provide non-orthopedic procedures in Greenville. He would seek out information regarding neurosurgical options available within the Shriners system. Unfortunately, I never received a follow up call, even after I left a couple of messages and sent a few emails.