Probable cause of seizures

Bryson has been having small seizures for a few weeks now. In doing some research as to the cause or what type of seizures he was having, Dana & Travis had an EEG performed on Bryson in late September. I witnessed these seizures which are a short jolt that courses through his entire body. It usually occurs mostly during feedings, but not necessarily only then.

We didn't have the results back yet from the Doctor as to what was the cause of these seizures and I did some research on the Internet on seizures. I knew they weren't Grand Mal or even Petit Mal Seizures. The Mayo Clinic website offered information on many types of seizures. What I could best tell was that these were myoclonic seizures where an electrical surge is caused by a neurological disfunction. I checked into other types of seizures and found information on Epilepsy, Spina Bifida and Neural Tube Disorders. The article on Spina Bifida brought to mind another midline defect that Bryson has. It appears that he has a closed spinal defect which I found out may be Occulta Spina Dysraphism. He has what looks like a defect just off from his sacral spine angled from his natal cleft. He has a tuft of hair at the top of the natal cleft which is indicative of Occulta Spina Dysraphism. Sometimes this is accompanied by a tethered spine and unasymetrical development of the legs or feet. A county health nurse and Dana had found that one leg is one inch longer than the other.

Hopefully the OSD is not accompanied by the tethered spine as this requires surgeries to release the spine from its bindings. He has another appointment with Dr. Liptak on November 4th. Hopefully more will be learned then about the seizures and the spinal defect.

As Bryson continues to develop and grow, there are and will continue to be new findings, some promising, some daunting. Nevertheless, he is loved and cared for by his parents with all the love and joy in their hearts as he brings to us a message of love and courage.

Video Montage of Bryson

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Milling and Mooing around in Northern New York

There is a lot of beautiful country here in Northern New York. Today, we visited a Cider Mill in Burrville where just behind the mill was this wonderful waterfall.


Then we drove a few miles from there to the Maple Ridge Wind Farm and saw up close what the windmills look like. From the distance, they look large, but when you're next to one, they are humongous! There are about 140 windmills in the Maple Ridge Wind Farm and the power created from just one turbine produces enough energy to power about 500 homes. Each 1.65 megawatt turbine costs $2.3 million to build. They stand 320 feet tall or equal to the size of London's Big Ben. They are graceful yet kind of space age looking amongst the backdrop of old barns and farmhouses.


Speaking of those farms, many are dairy farms as this is cheese country! The New York Cheddar and cheese curds (my favorite) is plentiful around here.

Physical Therapy Session

These pictures are of Bryson's Physical Therapy session. The Physical Therapist comes once a week for a half hour helping Bryson to stregthen his muscles. He fusses about it, but it's good for him and we learn what we need to do to improve his muscle tone.

Tattoo You

We've been having a lot of fun with Bryson in the past week. Mommy wanted to try a face painting on Bryson while a day or so later, Travis had a lot of fun with temporary tattoos all over the baby. Don't worry, it all washes off.

Autumn in New York

It has been really beautiful being here in New York during autumn. More reasons than the obvious beauty of the landscape with all the grand colors and that crisp air. There is a cornfield behind Dana & Travis' apartment where a lot of Canadian Geese have gathered for their migration south. There were literally thousands that took to the sky as I tried to get closer to get a good picture of them. The honking is quite loud, but it's an awesome sight to see so many in one place.

It has been especially nice being here with Dana, Travis and Bryson. Bryson has really changed a lot. He now weighs 12 pounds 7 ounces. He no longer needs to be fed through an oral GI tube. He feeds quite well from a bottle. It takes a while (about 45 minutes), but it makes things so much simpler. We've stayed around the house mostly, but it has been nice sharing this time together.

On Saturday, the 7th of October, Dana and I went to an Octoberfest in Alexandria Bay, at a Winery on the St. Lawrence Seaway. She has started her own business as a professional face painter and there were a few kids there that had their faces painted. It was fun setting up her booth with an easel sign, a bubble machine and table filled with her paints and a portfolio of her designs. It is so fun to see how the kid's personality would come out after they saw their face in the mirror. They were transformed to a puppy or kitty and sometimes something scary for Halloween. I had her paint my face as a beautiful monarch butterfly and walked around the grounds as a walking billboard for people to come to her booth. It was fun and the wine there is pretty good too!