New Years Eve Update

Happy New Year's Eve to all our family and friends.

We just returned home from a visit with Dawson's neurologist in Huntsville. She continues to be very impressed with his progress. She says " He looks Very good." We can see she is excited about how well he is doing, and we can also see she is showing some restraint when it comes to saying too much about it. I can understand her not wanting to put any false hope there until she sees his next EEG.

Speaking of which... We are not able to get to UAB in the time frame she wants us there because there is not a bed available for him until the end of January. So instead she has arranged for us to be in Crestwood Hospital in Huntsville. That works out better for us because its not as far a drive and also she will be the one who will be monitoring his VEEG. We will have results the next morning, so we won't have to wait for them.

The VEEG will be This Thursday evening and we will leave sometime Friday morning.

We have also seen his seizures disappear again since we upped the Keppra dosage. She told us to stay on his current dosage until she gets his EEG.

All is well and God continues to bless and amaze us through this child.

Jeff and Allison

Pictures of Dawson

Christmas Day... Dawson had all he could take and decided on a nap.

Sunday Dec 30th update

Dawson had a couple of small clusters of seizures yesterday. He is doing well today so far and is in his usual good mood this morning. Yesterday and this morning were injection mornings. He still continues to tolerate the medicine very well and we still see no side effects from the ACTH other than some bloating of the face, hands, and feet.

My older brother and his family were up this weekend for a visit from Prattville and it was great to get to spend some time with them. Scott, Michelle, Drew and Megan.. It was great seeing you guys and we hope to be able to visit you down in Prattville soon.

It is so hard waiting on time to pass before we get to see his neurologist again. were anxious to see what she thinks of his progress and we may explode before the next EEG gets done.

We appreciate your prayers for Dawson. Continue to lift him up to the Lord

We love you all

Jeff and Allison

Saturday December 29th

Still a few clusters of seizures around these past couple of days. We spoke with his neurologist yesterday by phone and she said its not all that uncommon for them to still have a few seizures as they are being weaned off of the ACTH. They have not affected him in any way so far. No regression of things learned or anything like that which is a good sign. Despite the seizures he continues to learn new things and you can see small differences in him almost daily. He is wanting to grasp things now, and he was sitting up this morning ( with little assistance)

He was receiving 1ml of Keppra and his neuro wants us to go to 1.5 ml for one week and then go to 2 ml to make up for the reduction of ACTH

Also the nurses had scheduled our VEEG in Birmingham for January 24 but our Neurologist said by phone that she wants him there much earlier than that. She is trying to work him in as soon as possible. We are hoping to get to go next week but we will find out for sure Monday during our visit

We love you all

The Wades

Friday Update

Hello to everyone. Yesterday evening Dawson had a spell of seizures. It one episode with a cluster of about 11. They were small and quick but none the less seizures. He was fine afterwards and didn't seem to affect him mentally in any way. He went on the rest of yesterday evening and this morning with business as usual.
He seems to have trouble on the days he gets his shot. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. Also we have decreased his ACTH injections and maybe we need to up the dosage on his medicine he takes orally to compensate for the other.

We see his neuro on the 31st and hopefully she will have a possible answer. She is really on top of this and we have all the confidence in the world in her.

I am still trying to get some recent pictures of him posted so bear with us on that.

Thanks for checking in

Thursday Update

Dawson is doing well today and no signs of any seizure activity since Christmas day. We have a visit coming up on New Years Eve with the neuro in Huntsville. We are really looking forward to that because we will schedule his VEEG to be done in Birmingham during that visit.
Hopefully we can go the first week in Jan as we are pretty anxious to see whats happening inside his head.

Thanks for the comment Uncle Jim. You are exactly right. It is hard for us to understand what God is doing sometimes. All that we know is that HE IS DOING and that's good enough for us.

I would like to divert every ones attention for a brief min. We have some dear friends of ours who are in need of your prayers as well. Jason Malone and his wife Cheryl, and their two daughters Hannah and Brianna.

Jason is gearing up for a second tour in Iraq. Cheryl is pregnant ( a boy this time) and Jason will be leaving sometime early January for a lengthy stay over there.

Please pray that God will protect him and bring him home safely to his family. I am witness to the power of prayer. We have seen what God is doing for Dawson, and for us, because of your prayers. Please remember him and his family as they face this time apart from each other.

We have some new pictures to put up so I will try to get those up this evening. Thank you once again for your prayers. God is listening and answering.

Wednesday update

Hello everyone. We hope Everybody had a Merry Christmas!!

Yesterday as Dawson was getting up from a nap he had a spell of seizures. Allison said it was a cluster of about 8 really quick ones. He was fine afterwards and haven't seen anything since then. This week we started to reduce the amount of ACTH he gets and yesterday was his first day at a reduced dosage. Each week now the dosage will be reduced until he is completely off of it. He is looking pretty swollen now. His hands, feet, and face are quite puffy but hopefully as we come off of the ACTH that will reduce pretty quick.

Dawson is really trying to sit up now. You can see him trying when you set him in his bouncy seat, and we are ecstatic to see him trying to do new things developmentally.

We had a great Christmas and its nice to have all 4 kids together for a week.

Thanks for looking in and for praying for Dawson

Christmas Eve update

Merry Christmas Eve!! Dawson woke up this morning in a great mood. He loves to be tickled and has found his laugh. Yesterday was a rough day as far as sleeping goes. Later in the day we noticed that he had not had a BM in a couple of days and wondered if that was the reason for all the fussiness. He had a big one yesterday evening ( thanks Grampy) and was back to his usual self after that.

We want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas. Christmas has a different spin on it this year for us and we are very thankful for each other, our kids, our family, and our friends.

May God bless you and your families and we are so thankful for you and all you have done for us through your prayers.

The Wades

Sunday afternoon update

Good afternoon everybody!. Dawson has had a really rough day sleeping today. So far he is sleeping about 20- 30 min at a time and it's making him really grumpy. With Sat and Sun being the only two days he gets an ACTH injection back to back, I'm sure that's a big part of the reason for the lack of sleep. Other than that he is doing really well.

Somebody asked me the other day what we were getting Dawson for Christmas and I told them
1. Gas money for going back and forth to Huntsville and Birmingham
2. Deductibles
3. Co-pays

Isn't that sad. I'm kidding we are gearing up for Christmas and Madison is getting really excited about Santa coming to see her. She really wants a " kickety kick ball" ( for those of you who watch Wow Wow Wubsy) and we are excited for her. This year is the first year she really knows whats going on with the whole Santa thing, and we hope she has a ball. She deserves it with all that's been going on.

We wanted to get Dawson out to church this morning but the ACTH really lowers his immune system ( I'm told its to that of an AIDS patient) so we are being really careful to keep him away from large crowds of people and were also having to be very persistent with hand washing for those who are around him. The smallest thing could make him really sick and that's the last thing we need.

So still no seizures and we continue to be blessed with prayer, God's grace, great friends, and wonderful family support.

Thanks for checking in on Dawson

We love you

Saturday update

Hello. Another great day for Dawson yesterday and last night as well. Still no signs of any seizures and he is doing really really well. He is so happy this morning even though this morning is injection morning. Its sad to say but hes gotten so used to the shot, that he doesn't even cry anymore when you give it to him.

Looking at him now compared to just a week or two ago we can't believe this is the same baby. There are so many that he is doing now that he wasn't doing then. It is as if there is absolutely nothing wrong with him at all. You all are a witness to the power of prayer and what can happen when believers get together and pray for the same cause. This experience has forever changed our lives and I believe it was designed to do just that. I hope that in some small way it has changed you too. Our prayer now is that when we get back to UAB for the EEG that it will be absolutely normal.

Please continue to lift up Dawson before the Lord. God is hearing our prayers and changing our lives as we have committed to following where ever he wants to take us with this.

We hope to have a new set of pictures for you very soon. ( hopefully in the next couple of days)

Thanks for checking in and thank you for the encouraging words being left behind for us. You are all so special to us and we thank God for you every day.

The Wades

Friday Update

Hello all, things still going very well with Dawson today. Still kinda iffy on the whole sleep thing. He falls asleep but then wakes right back up. But that's a very mild problem to have compared to what it could be.

The post a comment option seems to be a bit of a hassle for some, so i wanted to briefly walk through the easiest way I've found for those of you who want to leave a comment. Its always nice to hear from everybody as we go through this.

click on post a comment, type in your comment, type in the squiggly letters that it wants you to type in, then under " choose an identity" use the drop down menu and choose " any open id"
Then check the " nickname" option, type in your name in the " nickname" box and then "publish comment"

I think before it was asking you to use a Google account or sign up for a Google account. This way you can leave a comment or question without all the hassle.

Anyway, still no seizures, and we are so thankful for that. We are also very thankful for each and every one of you who are checking in and thinking of Dawson. We will post again this evening.

We love you all

Jeff & Allison

Thurs Update

Hello all, we just got home from the Neurologist visit in Huntsville. And to say the least she was quite impressed with Dawson and his progress.

She just kept looking at him with this puzzled look and saying " WOW"

I rode all the way home with this big smirk on my face.

She wants to start decreasing the amount of ACTH. Not the number of shots he gets a week but a decrease in the amount of the ACTH itself.

She did not see the need to see us again next Thursday but instead made an appointment for Dec the 31st. We also tentavely talked about being back at Childrens Hospital at UAB the very beginning of the year. Probably the first week in January for another Video EEG. I have a feeling theres going to be some more puzzled looks when the EEG is read.

God has been good and our faith is stronger than ever. Continue to lift Dawson up in prayer and we love and thank you all!!!

Jeff & Allison

Tuesday update

Hello to all. Another great night last night and good start today as we are still seeing no signs of seizure activity. We have found that Dawson loves to watch TV. Although he can't hold a remote control yet, this is a very important " man" skill. The people on the TV talk to him and he talks right back to them. It's very funny to watch.

We received an Email from Allison's sister in Montgomery this morning. It was a collection of Emails from people who have lifted Dawson up in prayer. It really broke me down reading Email after Email after Email of people whom I have never met, praying so diligently for my son and our family. Thank you to each and every one of you. It is because of prayer warriors like you, that in the middle of this crisis, we have found a peace that is indescribable. I do not know what the future holds for Dawson but what I do know is that God is in control of it. God is going to do something big here, and everyone that has been involved in this process is going to be blessed by it. Thank you Valerie for sending that to us. It was like opening a blessing.

We give God all the credit for Dawson's progress and it's because of your prayers that we are seeing such remarkable progress.

Dawson has a visit with his Neurologist in Huntsville tomorrow afternoon and I cant wait to get there so she can see what huge progresses have been made in a weeks time.

God bless you all and keep the prayers coming

Pictures of Dawson

these are pictures of Dawson at UAB Childrens Hospital. Nurse Jenny used to be a neurology nurse and it just worked out that she had conveniently been transferred to the floor that Dawson was staying on, and conveniently just happened to be assigned to Dawson as his nurse while we were there. His own nurse who specialized in neurology. Coincidence??? I think not.

She was so awesome with him and was such a God send.

Tues Update

Dawson had a pretty good night last night. No seizures last night or this morning. Hopefully doubling the dose of Keppra is going to finish these last few off for good. He is looking somewhat bloated from the ACTH as it makes you retain water, but that will disappear as he comes off of the injections. He is also having trouble during the day and evening sleeping. He will go to sleep but it is a very light sleep and wakes up frequently. We believe this is also a side effect of the ACTH. It can cause you to be very restless and irritated.

We have been going to the hospital every other day to have blood pressure monitored ( Also another side effect of ACTH) and his numbers look very good. We are so glad his body is tolerating this medication.

Thanks for checking in and for thinking of him!!

Monday night update

Hello friends, family and neighbors. Spoke with the neuro today and she suggested upping the dose of Keppra from .5 ml to 1.0 ml. This is double the dose and we give it to him morning and night. He will get another ACTH injection in the morning. Seizures still seem to be well in control but there are times as hes going and coming out of sleep that he seems to have a few very small ones. They are almost unnoticeable but trust me we notice. It is highly possible that they are not actual seizures but i find myself trying to dissect every jerky move and every odd look that he has. An arm flings out and i think.. was that one?? As a parent I don't know if you ever get past that.

God is so good and we still see good changes in him with every passing day. We celebrate things that often just go unnoticed to most people as their children develop. laughing, watching TV, sucking fingers and thumbs, noticing Christmas lights, smiling when he sees you, all of these things are celebrated and we look forward to see what he will learn next.

I think Allison mentioned in an earlier blog that we have turned the " comment page" on and we welcome anything that you would like to add. Everybody has been so kind with their thoughts and prayers and we are so fortunate to have a network of friends and family such as you. Allison and I talk about it every day. Our faith, and people like you is what keeps us strong.

Please pray that God will continue to work directly through his doctors, and his meds. I think were all going to witness a miracle!!

We love you all

Update for Monday

Shortly after Allison Posted the last message he was on his changing table and looked to have two short seizures. His Neuro wanted us to call Monday morning to see how the Keppra is working and I am waiting on her to call me back. Maybe she will want to up is dose earlier than originally planned.

Our love to all

Good Monday Morning

Good Morning!! Dawson had a really great day yesterday. No seizures. He was laughing and smiling and babbling all day. He sucks his first 2 fingers on his right hand or his thumb on his left. It is so cute. We are so glad he has started doing this again. Yesterday he also touched my face with his little hand, so sweet!!! We got through the evening without a long drawn out fussy period. We were so happy. He has been waking up at night at regular intervals of 3 hours lately. So it has been a little more tiring for me, but we are making it.

We have set the options so that anyone can post a comment now. We did not realize the previous setting was limiting. Please feel free to leave a comment, we would love to read some.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!!

Love to all,
The Wades

Good Morning

Good morning to all. We are happy to report that he has still not had any seizures. I am a little paranoid and are unsure of a few jerky movements I saw this morning when changing a diaper. Jeff thinks it was nothing. He had a rough evening yesterday. He was fussing for about 2 hours. Jeff said he was acting like he had colic. I sure hope we don't have to go through that every night. He wakes in good humor though. He is such a Blessing! He got another shot this morning, poor baby.

Thanks again for all the support and prayers!!! We love you all!!!

The Wades

update

Good morning everyone, We are happy to report this morning that Dawson still has not had any more seizures since starting the Keppra. Today starts a decline in the number of times he gets an injection of ACTH. We go to four days a week and today is an off day. Everybody, especially Allison and Dawson, are very thankful for that.

WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Update

Ok its nearing 6:00 in the evening and still no seizures today!!! We are so excited but we are not letting ourselves get to optimistic about it just yet. Its hard though and we give God praise for his progress. It is so awesome to see what can happen when this many people pray for one cause. God is truly at work here and we are all lucky we get to see him working in this situation.

he is getting this new med twice a day so lets pray that God will continue to work through this medication to stop his seizures for good

Thanks again for all the prayer warriors. There is no way we can thank you enough

The Wades

Good morning so far

Dawson got his first dose of the Keppra last night and we are very proud to report that his last seizure was at 2:30 pm yesterday. He went all evening, all night, and so far this morning with no seizure activity. We hope that this will be his breakthrough drug but it will be a wait and see sort of thing.

We will write again tonight and hopefully we will have no seizures to report.

Love to all

Neurologist visit in Huntsville

This afternoon we went to see Dawson's neurologist in Huntsville. She was a little dissapointed that after a week on ACTH he is still having seizures. She did say there was a very noticeable difference in him than from a week ago. But still we have to remember that the goal is to Stop the seizures.

We are taking him off of Topamax and that is being replaced with Keppra. This antiepilectic drug has no side effects other than making them really sleepy ( WOOO HOOOO) and she has some kids with I.S. that have stopped seizures after one dose. Maybe we will be that lucky.
He gets his first dose tonight and we pray that it works.

Meanwhile Dawson is doing just fine. He is such a morning baby (unlike Madison) laughing, smiling, pretty much normal baby stuff.

We will update again sometime tomorrow morning

Love you all!!

Jeff,Allison, Madison,Dawson,Ashlyn,Katelin

UPDATES ON DAWSON

Hello from the Wade's. We are not sure what happened to the link for the the website we previoulsy did but hopefully this one will work. We are so appreciative of everybody and their interest and prayers for Dawson.

He is still doing well. Today was his 7th injection of the ACTH. So far no side effects and his seizures are still down in numbers. He is having about 3 eppisodes on average during a 24 hour period with anywhere from 4 to 8 small seizeures per episode. This is a big difference from the 15 to 20 episodes he was having a day.

We are so thankful he is responding well to the injections and the ultimate goal is for them to stop. We are told that reducing them in number really isnt going to do a whole lot of good. The nurologist wants them to stop all together.

We are cautiously optimistic at this point.

We have a Doctors visit in Huntsville this afternoon with the Neurologist. She wanted to see him after he had been on ACTH for a week. We are hoping and praying for a good report.

Thanks for checking in and we will give an update after we hear from the Doctor

We love you all and keep praying!!

Jeff,Allison,Madison,Dawson,Ashlyn,Katelin