One Month Post Surgery

a·stound ( P ) Pronunciation Key ( -stound )tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds
To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise.

sur·prise ( P ) Pronunciation Key (s r-pr z )tr.v. sur·prised, sur·pris·ing, sur·pris·es
To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated.

It has been one month (and a couple of days) since our little boy had brain surgery! Our lives have already changed so drastically! The surgery was only supposed to get rid of the big seizures, or reduce the severity of them. We did not see a seizure for three weeks! That has never happened in the whole time Mason has had Epilepsy. That truly is far over and above all that we [dared] to ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— (Ephesians 3). Early mornings have been the time when he has had the strongest seizures. Friday morning around 6:30 he was moving around, so I went and lay down with him. (I’ve actually been sleeping in my own bed for a couple of weeks now!!) After a bit I felt him have some extremely mild body twitches. I looked at his face and his eyes were open, but not responding to me. This only lasted moments before he fell back asleep, still tucked in. After five years of watching him extremely closely, I still find myself looking at him a lot wondering “was that a seizure?”. We don’t know what is going on inside his brain, only tests in the future will reveal that, but to go from 20 – 30 per day down to next to nothing is nothing short of a miracle.

Mason has been changing so much. He really is a very different boy. He walks now!!! No longer that tilting forward frenzied run! Calm, more relaxed. Attentive in school. Focused, following instructions. Sitting through circle time in grade 1. More responsive to us, chatterbox, copycat, repeating single words all day.

Those are some words that now describe Mason. There is so much more. The changes are happening so very fast. Mason’s speech is really coming along. In the last couple of days he has started yet another new thing. Walking around with his hand out, palm up, telling me “stories”. He’ll walk over to something, facing me and saying something! He has so many new sounds coming out of his mouth, it’s like a whole language. The expression on his face looks like he knows what he is saying, and we understand.

In the past we would usually see new steps of progress every few months . . . maybe. Even those he would often loose as he would have more seizures. Now we see many new things each day. It’s so amazing!! Our house is full of gates and doors with keyed locks just to keep Mason safe. Lately I am able to leave gates open!! He’ll walk into the kitchen and not go for his normal obsessions, water at the tap, dishwasher, stove, microwave fridge door, etc. If I tell him to come out of the kitchen he actually will!!

He has become very aware of his surroundings, which is so good developmentally. The drawback is severe separation anxiety. Now that school is back in session after the strike, we have had opportunity to experience this to the fullest. He screams his little head off each morning. He is in the process of perfecting “jello body”. We really are in the “terrible twos”. So as we walk from the car into the school, either I carry him, or he drops to the ground every few steps. If the ground is dry it isn’t such a big deal. I can’t hold onto him because of the jello effect. When a two year old does this, it’s easy to pick them up and carry on. Not so with a 6 ½ year old. I’m ok to carry him if he isn’t fighting me, but I’m noticing a few extra aches in the joints this week! Moments after I leave the school, he stops crying until he sees me walk in the door at the end of the day.

He is doing so well in school. His teachers and TA’s keep telling me the new things he is doing. We are trying to get speech therapy going. His brain is such a sponge now we really need to take advantage of it. He sits through circle time in grade one. He is really really noisy though. It’s so nice that he has the option of the Special Ed classroom to go to when the grade one kids need to work quietly.

Sometimes I look over the past e-mails I have sent. It really is a great way to journal our journey, while at the same time as sharing a part of our lives with all of you. Right now I feel like the last page of another chapter in our lives has been turned. The Author filled that last page with suspense and anticipation, hope and peace. I am eager to see what happens in the pages coming up. Our life has been like one of those intense books you just can’t put down. I really want to go to the back of the book to see how it will end!! Because we know the Author loves us and has plans for us, good plans, I know the rest of the book will be well written. There will be more moments of suspense, joy, fear, frustration, laughter, and difficulty. The beginning of this next chapter is one of changes, adjustments and confusion at times. We are having to get to know a different boy.

Psalm 40:1-4 I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be astounded.
They will put their trust in the LORD.

Your prayers will continue to affect the rest of the book and will be forever marked on the “acknowledgements” page of the book of the life of the Martens family. Thank you so much. Shirley