Carter's Stroke with Pics Below

My baby boy has had a stroke. I can't even believe I have typed those words and that it's really happened. It's such a strange thing to think that I'm actually still able to breath at all with all of this is going on. I never thought that I could hold it together, but I live moment to moment and keep on moving -even if that means leaving the room, taking a shower or doing laundry, or sitting alone at the cafeteria to think. And, the Lord really does keep you moving when you don't think you'd be able to otherwise. I am thankful for the knowledge of the gospel, especially during this trial, and throughout this whole thing we have seen so many shining positive blessing to balance any bad news or worry. The break down...(and this is quite a watered down version, but I have to journal a lot of info.) The Past. At 2am Wednesday morning, Carter cried out -which is a normal nightly occurrence as he is nursed several times through the night. I went in to nurse him and, very obviously, Carter was not himself. To put it simply my Carter was gone. He was vacant, vague and non responsive. He seemed to be out of body; he would look at me, but would not show any sign of recognition to me. I called Joe (he was out of town for work) crying that Carter "was not there, that his mind was gone somehow". I tested his reaction to stimulation, and after it all was not bringing him back, I feared I would never see my baby again. He then had a seizure. His seizures are blank stares followed by facial twitching, tongue clicking, and other things that rhythmically move -it's hard to watch and 2 1/2 minutes can feel like an eternity. The shortest seizure has been 10 seconds, the longest 15 mins.; generally they're 2-4 mins. I called my sister to come stay with the older boys, and called my mom to drive up to babysit long term. Joe got on the road and started his ten hour drive home. My sister called a friend to meet me at the ER to give Carter a blessing. I took Carter to the ER, and he had a seizure as soon as we got there, and we were rushed in. He had multiple seizures in the ER -we were there 5 hours. They did a lumbar puncture to test spinal fluid, they poked every vein to get in an IV. They admitted us to the hospital and Carter rode in an ambulance. He underwent an EEG and was scheduled for an MRI. Joe made it to the hospital by 3pm. He stayed while Carter had his MRI, and after 13hours I finally got a shower. By 5 o'clock we were waiting for the results, and had high hopes that it would show he just had epilepsy (which runs in the family) Then the phone rang in our room while Carter was seizing in Joe's arms, so he and the nurses were preoccupied, so I answered to talk to our doctor. She then told me the test showed he had a stroke. I don't remember much after that, but I had to break the news. The Stroke. His stroke was caused by a blood clot cutting off his blood and oxygen flow to a certain part of his brain. It is a substantial area in the right side of his brain -thus his left side of his body is affected, and is the side to watch for long term problems...such as cerebral palsy. The stroke is causing the seizures; the seizures didn't cause the stroke. The doctor said the stroke occurred within the last 24hrs -which meant that at the time Carter cried out to "be fed" he had suffered the stroke then, and all the things I was seeing when I got him were the first seizures of many. I think Joe and I were both blind sided and instantly in shock. I broke down and cried. A sweet nurse asked if we were of the LDS faith and if so we could have someone come in and help Joe give Carter a blessing. Joe gave Carter his blessing and broke down and cried too. I was close to having my temple recommend expire and, fearing the worst, I wanted my recommend while in SLC, so I asked Joe to round up the bishop and stake Pres. to give me an emergency interview. I got it, and the bishop offered a blessing. In my blessing he blessed me with "immense peace". I know the power of the priesthood is real and was grateful to feel the peace promised me immediately. Joe was also able to receive a blessing too. They Life Flighted me and Carter to SLC around 10pm, we reached the hospital around 11:30. Carter slept the whole time and most of the night. Carter had multiple seizures the next morning. He had 13 alone within two hours. They did another MRI to look at his blood vessels in the brain, to see if they caused the stroke, also they ordered the heart test to determine if a blood clot had come from his heart. Both tests came back with good results. There is no hole or irregular heart beat, and the vessel in his head are fine. The Present. Today has been by far the best day here at the hospital. Carter had very few seizures, and the ones he did have were mild considering all the ones before. He woke me up pretty early -around five, but PLAYED till about seven. He was drowsy and not 100%, but SO much better than the previous two days. Through out the whole ordeal, Carter has had great mobility in his left side. He is almost equal to his right side in his leg, and not far off from normal in his arm. He grabs at toys and smiles at us and responds like his normal cute self. He has flirted with nurses and babbled at toys. He is my good ol' Carter. When I saw him that morning, I thought I had lost my Carter forever. I told Joe, "Carter is not here; Carter is gone." I was sure I'd never see my Carter again. BUT, he is here, and he is normal (other than he's drugged/sleepy etc.) He finished today with a few small seizures, and we will probably be staying through the weekend and into Tues. He has another MRI Monday to determine if he's had another stroke -thus the reason his seizures have not stopped completely with the meds he's on. We're praying he has not had another stroke. The Future. The future looks really good. We talked to a neurologist who specialized in strokes. She said his brain has already been sending blood to the deprived area, and will be able to rewire some the brain to make up for that which was lost. She said he looks really good in the whole spectrum of things. She feels at WORST he'll show moderate affects (using the left hand less or some weakness) and a BEST he'll show no signs at all...however learning disabilities could present themselves later. She seemed hopeful, and we are hopefully too. However, nothing is guaranteed and evidence of the stroke could become more evident the older he gets as he starts developing. We have been really blessed during this trial and have had the peace promised in priesthood blessings. We have felt the comfort of your prayers and appreciate all your thoughts and all the service our family and friends have done for us. We have been fed, distracted (when we've needed to be), and completely comforted. On top of that, we've had errands run, things paid for, and amazing attentive babysitters. We are lucky. And though this is not the best situation to find ourselves, we have been made better for the trial and have found an increase of faith and felt the peaceful reassurance that we are loved and in the care of a perfect Father in Heaven. Thank you all again for your prayers -we have no doubt benefited directly from them. I will continue to have my friend Brittany and sister update face book as we continue our hospital stay.