"PRES" on...

Brylee entered our lives on Thursday Feb. 14th, we were released from the hospital on Sunday and then I went back to school on Tuesday.  Being the rigorous program I was, I didn't want to miss a lot of school and honestly I was feeling really good...now looking back I can the side note of how much I am a pusher, I don't believe in weakness when it comes to myself, others can struggle and I don't think they're weak but when it comes to me I'm a little hard on myself...so yeah I went back to school on Tuesday took a test and then went home, Wednesday I only did a half day and Thursday I pretty much went all day.  Thursday night I was pretty tired and it was obvious the week was catching up to me, especially when a migraine came on.  Now this was not a normal migraine...my head literally throbbed so hard I could feel every pulse in my brain and I had the worst muscle pain going down my neck and into my shoulder....but that is normal right...I'm a brand new mom, I'm tired, I'm breastfeeding and not using good posture...it's just been a long day and I need rest....right??  (HAH)  I decided to sleep out on the couch with Brylee so Mike could get some rest before his first day back at work.  I insisted mom go sleep in her guest bed, but she insisted she would sleep out on the couch with me...good thing too...at about 6:30am mom was texting Jamie back in GA (8:30 her time) when my legs feel off the couch and I didn't respond to her asking if I was alright...I was having a seizure.  Mom called out to Mike and ran upstairs to get my father-in-law Ray who is a nurse.  

When I awoke I had paramedics standing around me and family with worried looks.  The paramedics began asking me questions...some I knew answers for and some I did not.  If this doesn't sound scary enough to wake up to just wait for them to tell you you've had a seizure and are going to the emergency room.  I was taken to Lakeview Hospital.  Mike and his dad gave me a blessing as soon as they were able to.  I was given an IV of fluids and Magnesium...not fun stuff...Magnesium is used to help reduce the chance of another seizure occurring and it basically makes you feel like crap, it made me soo groggy and tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.  We all feel this is probably a blessing because it helped me stay calm and to this day I still don't recall all that was going on, especially the scariness and severity of my condition at the time.  I had an MRI which I was in and out of due to the Magnesium, the MRI showed severe swelling and a small bleed in the posterior of my brain.  They decided to transfer to me the U of U since that is where my OB is at.  

Once at the U I was officially diagnosed with PRES (Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome).  The cause of PRES is not known, but basically what happens...in my case...my blood pressure got too high and caused the vessels in my brain to leak and lead to swelling, the swelling then led to a seizure.  If my mom had not noticed the seizure and I hadn't gotten to the hospital I could have had recurring seizures, but I was blessed to only have one.  Many times people that have PRES can have permanent damage, especially involving motor skills and visual problems.  As word spread of my condition to family and friends, my name was placed on multiple Temple Prayer List and I was included in many peoples personal prayers...people I don't even know where praying for my health and safety.  These prayers were felt and the blessings poured out upon me!

The stay at the hospital was hard, for me and everyone else.  Luckily they allowed Brylee to be back up with me and Mike's work allowed for him to take a few extra days off no problem.  Saturday I was on the magnesium all day and so I pretty much slept the whole day.  I ended up spending six days in the hospital, a lot more than anticipated but my darn blood pressure just wouldn't stay where they wanted.  I was on the max doses of two medications and they were about to add a third when things finally started to stay low enough.  The great thing about PRES is it has REVERSIBLE in the name...most of the time everything is reversible when a cause can be identified.  My cause was the blood pressure problem...now the cause of the bp problem is not known.  I have never had bp problems prior to this and during my whole pregnancy everything was great.  The tricky thing is there is no way of determining how long it will take for things to reverse, it is just up to your body to decide when it's ready to regulate itself again.

Within a few days of being home I was already able to lower my dose of medications, two weeks later it was lowered again, and then again a month later!.  I had a neurology follow-up appointment May 3rd (which is still weird to say).  Everything checked out perfectly!  I have no visual problems, no motor skill problems, and I completely off my medications now!  Those prayers and that Priesthood blessing were felt...Heavenly Father watched over me and protected me and in the process taught me to be a little more patient with myself and taught me how strong I am.  I was taught the value of my life and the love of those around me.  I was taught how to "PRES" on even in times of trial.  I am so grateful for the blessings of my Father in Heaven.  I am so grateful for the love and prayers of my family and friends.