Trying To Find Answers

Dylan is smiling in this photo, but this was actually the tail end of a really rough morning for him.  Exactly one week earlier, we were in church singing with the worship band.  Dylan began feeling sick to his stomach and began to exit our row.  I went with him and grabbed a hold of his arm as his steps began to falter.  I looked down at his face, and he didn’t seem like he was connecting.  Shawn, who had been helping seat people in the building across the street, was just walking into the worship center.  Shawn was right in front of us, and Dylan didn’t even realize that it was his dad.  We found out shortly that Dylan’s vision was blurred and darkened.  He began to have hot flashes and frantically began wiping his whole body with cold paper towels.  At this point, he had already made it to the bathroom and had taken off his shirt and shoes.  He requested taking off his shorts as well, but, for obvious reasons, (We weren’t in the comfort of our home) we made him keep those on.  He shortly began having chills.  Shawn grabbed a Gatorade from his tennis bag in his vehicle.  Dylan began to feel better, so we just assumed it was some sort of blood sugar issue.  Fast forward a week later to this picture…We were singing in church again, and Dylan began to have another episode, feeling very sick to his stomach.  At this point, we began to question if the remodeling that was done at the church was having some effect on Dylan (paint fumes, carpet fibers, etc.).  But this time his sickness lasted until Thursday.  Ever since then, he would have episodes about every 2-3 days, mostly feeling sick to his stomach.  We had tests run and even met with a GI doctor.  Dylan then began having longer intervals between epsiodes.  His last episode was 2 weeks and 2 days ago.  This one hit him suddenly like it always does, and I reassured him it would be over within 20 minutes if it followed its most recent pattern.  It did.  This time, though, his hands became numb, and I began to question whether what I had just witnessed was a textbook panic attack.  I have always been skeptical of panic attacks, but all the research I did pointed to that…feeling sick to the stomach, hot flashes right after that, an immediate need to leave the area, then chills accompanied with chattering teeth, deep breaths, and numb hands.  We have an appointment set up with a neurologist.  Dylan’s pediatrician believes there is something triggering these attacks in his body.  Dylan is the most laid back boy, and there is never anything that triggers these symptoms.  I am truly hoping and praying that Dylan is completely healed of whatever was causing these episodes.  Right now, we are waiting to meet with the neurologist and see what he has to say after our meeting with him.

Also, as to why Dylan is smiling in this photo…This photo was taken outside on the patio of our church.  Shawn and I were discussing if the renovations in the church were causing Dylan to have some sort of reaction.  I figured more people would also be affected and commented, “Yes, but if that were the case, wouldn’t there be more church members out here on the patio with their shirts off?”  This imagery made Dylan and all our kids laugh!  We have to find the humor when we can!