This morning it looks like we made it through another of what friends who read the blog often call a rough patch.
In the wake of Calvin's second grand mal seizure Friday—the first one being only one of a few that have happened while at school—I gave him an extra dose of my homemade THCA oil hoping to avoid a third fit. As is typical after a grand mal, he fell back to sleep promptly, but then rose half an hour later quite restless. Our kid was completely wired for hours, slapping the wall, banging his head and perseverating—finger stimming, hyperventilating, humming—like mad. Over five hours later, he was still at it. Despite my exhaustion stemming from Calvin's previous night's migraine-type episode, plus the cumulative effects of a decade or more of sleep deprivation, I racked my foggy brain for some remedy to ease his agitation and misery so that we could all get some rest.
In an epiphany of sorts, I remembered an unopened bottle of Palmetto Harmony CBD cannabis oil that its maker had sent to me several months ago. We had taken Calvin off of his former CBD oil at the first of the year because we thought it might be the source of some of Calvin's complex partial seizures. I hadn't switched to the Palmetto Harmony CBD because I was waiting for them to make Calvin a CBDA oil instead. I remembered, too, when first researching cannabis oil nearly six years ago, hearing that finding the right strain of cannabis can sometimes take a bit, or a lot, of trial and error. I thought to myself, perhaps a different CBD oil could work to help reduce Calvin's seizures.
I was fairly certain that giving Calvin the Palmetto Harmony oil wouldn't hurt him; he had taken CBD oil for years with no disastrous effects. So I crept downstairs, took the bottle from the fridge and drew up half a milligram of the clear, amber oil. Fifteen minutes after giving it to my wild kid he was sound asleep.
Regrettably, the oil did not prevent Calvin from having a third grand mal a few hours later, though I had given him a tiny dose. Nevertheless, while in his darkened room yesterday watching him rest and recover from the effects of the seizures, the lack of sleep and the rectal Valium we used to stop the seizures from continuing, I did a bit of strategizing in my head.
Though I had hoped our next move would be to try a CBDA oil from Palmetto Harmony's maker, life got in the way of its making and it is not available yet. And though there are several new drugs on the market, I am loathe to try another pharmaceutical antiepieptic because of Calvin's past resistance to so many, and because of their scary side effects. So yesterday morning, I contacted Harmony's mother, Janel, who makes the CBD oil which has helped so many children have fewer seizures, some who have achieved seizure freedom. She kindly and promptly answered a litany of my questions including how the oil is extracted, why she thinks her method is superior, and what strains she uses, then she forwarded me the cannabinoid and terpene lab results. Last night I gave Calvin his first of what will be a regular nightly dose of Palmetto Harmony CBD oil to see how it affects his seizures, sleep and mood.
At midnight Calvin sat up and banged the bed. It was unclear if he was having a partial seizure, but since they are common after a grand mal, I gave him another dose of the Palmetto Harmony oil and a few minutes later he yawned and fell back to sleep.
This morning he seems to be nearly back to the little turkey we know and love.
Beginning any new treatment for Calvin is scary, but I have vowed not to make—or balk at—any decision strictly based on my fears. And from what I know about cannabis, I think the possible benefits to Calvin far outweigh the risks. Suffice to say I'm cautiously optimistic and hoping this new CBD oil could be the silver bullet that I've been searching for over twelve years, one that my husband insists does not exist.
As in everything, I'll keep you posted. Until then, and as always, cross your fingers and knock on wood.
In the wake of Calvin's second grand mal seizure Friday—the first one being only one of a few that have happened while at school—I gave him an extra dose of my homemade THCA oil hoping to avoid a third fit. As is typical after a grand mal, he fell back to sleep promptly, but then rose half an hour later quite restless. Our kid was completely wired for hours, slapping the wall, banging his head and perseverating—finger stimming, hyperventilating, humming—like mad. Over five hours later, he was still at it. Despite my exhaustion stemming from Calvin's previous night's migraine-type episode, plus the cumulative effects of a decade or more of sleep deprivation, I racked my foggy brain for some remedy to ease his agitation and misery so that we could all get some rest.
In an epiphany of sorts, I remembered an unopened bottle of Palmetto Harmony CBD cannabis oil that its maker had sent to me several months ago. We had taken Calvin off of his former CBD oil at the first of the year because we thought it might be the source of some of Calvin's complex partial seizures. I hadn't switched to the Palmetto Harmony CBD because I was waiting for them to make Calvin a CBDA oil instead. I remembered, too, when first researching cannabis oil nearly six years ago, hearing that finding the right strain of cannabis can sometimes take a bit, or a lot, of trial and error. I thought to myself, perhaps a different CBD oil could work to help reduce Calvin's seizures.
I was fairly certain that giving Calvin the Palmetto Harmony oil wouldn't hurt him; he had taken CBD oil for years with no disastrous effects. So I crept downstairs, took the bottle from the fridge and drew up half a milligram of the clear, amber oil. Fifteen minutes after giving it to my wild kid he was sound asleep.
Regrettably, the oil did not prevent Calvin from having a third grand mal a few hours later, though I had given him a tiny dose. Nevertheless, while in his darkened room yesterday watching him rest and recover from the effects of the seizures, the lack of sleep and the rectal Valium we used to stop the seizures from continuing, I did a bit of strategizing in my head.
Though I had hoped our next move would be to try a CBDA oil from Palmetto Harmony's maker, life got in the way of its making and it is not available yet. And though there are several new drugs on the market, I am loathe to try another pharmaceutical antiepieptic because of Calvin's past resistance to so many, and because of their scary side effects. So yesterday morning, I contacted Harmony's mother, Janel, who makes the CBD oil which has helped so many children have fewer seizures, some who have achieved seizure freedom. She kindly and promptly answered a litany of my questions including how the oil is extracted, why she thinks her method is superior, and what strains she uses, then she forwarded me the cannabinoid and terpene lab results. Last night I gave Calvin his first of what will be a regular nightly dose of Palmetto Harmony CBD oil to see how it affects his seizures, sleep and mood.
At midnight Calvin sat up and banged the bed. It was unclear if he was having a partial seizure, but since they are common after a grand mal, I gave him another dose of the Palmetto Harmony oil and a few minutes later he yawned and fell back to sleep.
This morning he seems to be nearly back to the little turkey we know and love.
Beginning any new treatment for Calvin is scary, but I have vowed not to make—or balk at—any decision strictly based on my fears. And from what I know about cannabis, I think the possible benefits to Calvin far outweigh the risks. Suffice to say I'm cautiously optimistic and hoping this new CBD oil could be the silver bullet that I've been searching for over twelve years, one that my husband insists does not exist.
As in everything, I'll keep you posted. Until then, and as always, cross your fingers and knock on wood.
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