emergency 2

It was a late July day and I was wrapping up my time at a Transition conference. I had just given a speech about disability awareness and went to sit down and listen to others presentations before we had to say good bye. 

When I sat down, I got prepared to listen to the next presentation in the quiet and still room. As I sat there and listened, I started thinking about other stuff that was on my mind. "I can't wait to see my friends this weekend?" "I hope the autism conference next week is going to be good!".....  I wasn't fully tuned into the presentation like i was supposed to be. I remember sitting there and almost starting to day dream or go into deep thought. It was a deep thought that I couldn't get out of and it scared me. 

As soon as I noticed something was wrong, I got up out of my seat, turned into the aisle that I walked down as I tried not to disrupt others and made my way over to a young woman in a  bright orange sweatshirt.Unbeknownst to me, I told this woman that I was having an anxiety attack and that I needed to take a walk. She got up and took me for a walk with my vision in a bur and my mind trying to understand what was happening, to help calm me down since I was really confused. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing. I did know I had a friend with me.  

When the girl in the orange sweatshirt took me on a walk, we ran into a family friend of mine. Her name was Cindy. Cindy recognized that I was having trouble and came to help me. I also told her that I thought I was having an anxiety attack. Cindy tried to calm me down to no avail. "Try calling your mom", she said. "Okay, what day of the week is it and where am I?" I couldn't focus on anything. She decided it would be a good idea to call my mom to come get me early. It wouldn't hurt to get me early since there were only 15 minutes left to the conference. 

We finally got a hold of my mom and let her know what had happened. "This seems to happen every once in a while and I am not too, concerned, but thank you."My mom was very relaxes as she tried to help me through this. As tears rolled down my face, I let my mom know that I did in fact think this was a seizure since I wasn't able to control my emotions afterwards and I became very tired. 

When my mom picked me up from the conference, she had planned on taking me to Honeybaked ham, one of my favorite fast food restaurants for lunch. When she found out I had the episode, she decided she would still see if I wanted to go. "Of course I want to go mom, it's my favorite fast food restaurant!"  "Okay, I was just asking since you are so upset." We headed down the road in search of my favorite ham sandwich. 

When we got home from Honeybaked Ham, my mom called the doctor to document what happened and to see if she should do anything. The doctor told my mom that I had to go to the emergency room. He wanted to get some tests done.  I posted on facebook, with tears of fear streaming down my face that I was headed there and I asked for prayers. I didn't know what I was in for. "Are they going to do a blood test or an EEG?" 

Jordan Stephenson

July 27

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going to the ER right now!!! Prayers please, more later!!! :(

When I posted on facebook that I need prayers, my friend Michelle who was coming in from out of town saw it. It just so happened that she was coming up to visit us later that evening. When she saw this she was shocked that I was in the emergency room and asked if we still wanted her company. "Are you sure you still want us to come up?" "I checked with Jordan and she said she would love it, we'll be home as soon as we can so just make yourself at home." Of course I wanted company over because I love people. I needed a distraction. 

When my mom and I were in the waiting room of the emergency department, we were told by the nurses that I had to have a fall risk bracelet on in case I had another seizure  I knew I wasn't going to have another one of these seizures again, because I have had them several times before. I never have more than one in a row. This was the first time my doctor wanted me to see an emergency room doctor. They told me it was just precautionary. "Haha, got post this pic on facebook." 

When we arrived  home from the emergency room, we brought a pizza home for dinner too. It was really yummy since I hadn't had food since lunch time. It was 8:30 by the time we got home. I got cuddled up in my pajama's and sat down in my television room to watch some tv after a long day. "I'm tired!"

I had to be sleep deprived for a diagnostic test so my friend Emma invited me over to her place to make Christmas cookies and hang out so my parents could get some sleep. Every year since we were young children, our families would get together for Christmas Eve. We have dinner, decorate cookies and exchange gifts. Emma had been in France the previous Christmas and she wanted to make up for the cookie decorating we missed.

When I had my follow up appointment with my neurologist to go over the results of the diagnostic testing, he told me that it was more likely than not that I had epilepsy. He suggested I get a medical alert bracelet so I can be more independent on campus. He was worried that I would have a seizure in class or while I was crossing a road. "Mom, do  you agree with this since you have been really strict about using stuff as a crutch?" "Of course this is okay since it involves your own safety." 

 Another thing we had discussed with the neurologist was my ability to drive. He told me that as long as I was on medicine and I didn't have a seizure for at least six months, he would let me drive. "Well, at least that gives us a definitive answer about whether you can drive or not", my mom said. The previous fall I had tried driving, but I was having some processing issues. Driving had always been in question.  My dad makes signs and decided to make these magnets to put on the back of our car. He thought it would help us stay safe

Michelle who had visited that weekend could tell I wasn't myself. I was really tired. I also had some problems with my speech and memory that have now resolved themselves. They were part of the post-ictal state of my seizure. This means that it was the side affects I get after a seizure that make you feel yucky. Since my friend saw this she decided to sent me a get well soon card a couple days later. It made me feel really happy during this really rough time

Water Park

Every weekend during my childhood summers I would wake up throw some clothes on and go play with the neighborhood kids. The search for my of that day started by me hopping on my bike an riding it around the neighborhood. Pressing the doorbell at every house, I would hope for a child my age to appear and want to play. “Do you want to come play?” I would ask with a reply that normally was a no because they had non-existent homework or a yes, you can play at my house. We never played at my house!

On one particular day we decided to play outside on a swing set. The majority of the neighborhood kids had nice wooden swing sets, classically having a round green slide built into the “fort”: a fabric covered triangular pole support system.  Each yard had the typical garden hose and sometimes a good old sandbox; I loved to play in the sand when I was a kid and I definitely loved water.

My friends and I had quite the imaginations as children and this day we decided to play waterslide. One by one we would take turns climbing the ladder up into the fort. We would sit down on our bums and proceed to go down the slide amidst friends pouring water on our head. We thought it was pretty cool that we could have a water park in our own backyards. Next up was my turn and only the unthinkable happened.

I climbed up the sturdy yellow ladder into the fort which was decked out with a  heavy duty green fabric roofing to match the slide, sat down and was ready to slide. We made sure the slide was wet enough and ready for me to go down. Next thing I know, I’m sliding down the slide having water poured over me as I’m squealing in excitement. It was a blast. After that round though, it was my turn again. “Jordan go again”. “Okay”, I thought to myself.

Up the ladder I climbed again and down the slide I went again. I thought it was the best thing that happened to me. Splashes of crystal clear water flying past my eyes as I whizzed down the slide made the ride so much better. When I reached the bottom of the slide, I stood up, wiped my eyes off, spit the water out that had reached my mouth and tasted something gritty. What just happened to me was absolute cruelty from a same age peer who noticed my differences and wanted me to leave. They had mixed sand in the water and forced me to go down the slide and into their trap. My “friends” went on to tell me that they didn’t do any such thing. The sand covered my hair and inched its way through ever little crack between the strands. My body was covered in disgusting sand and rocks as I stood there clenching my teeth, gnawing on yucky sand that I had ingested. Crunch went my teeth!

What could have been a fabulous time with friends turned into a nightmare purely due to lack of acceptance and exclusion. Most often people think of exclusion as one not being permitted into a group for one reason or another, but exclusion goes much farther than that. Exclusion goes to the extent of people putting on a mask to show you they like you. The rebel then acts in disguise and does unthinkable acts to get you out of their face. Many people will look at these situations and think they are just mistakes, but they are not. Kids no better than many parents may realize. Exclusion isn’t just the act of being ignored, but it’s the act of disrespecting one to the point of segregation and discomfort. Being segregated by your peers in uncanny ways is unacceptable. 

Pancakes

    I was born a healthy 7 lb 11 oz and on time. I did have some breathing issues at birth but everything resolved. I was a healthy baby except for my weight. By the time I was a year old, I was only fourteen pounds. The only reason I was considered failure to thrive was because I did gain weight little by little. Pancakes were very helpful in the weight gaining process.

     Pancakes, the miracle weight gain food, All starch and yummy sugar that just melts in your mouth. It was one of my favorite foods as a child and I still really enjoy eating them at the waffle shop. My mom would by microwavable pancakes and she always had them in stock. It was a basic necessity just like milk, eggs and bread. I had them every night.

     My father would pick me up from daycare every day and on the way home, I would point out the window in excitement to the cows that we passed. During this car ride home I would often ask my father what was for dinner. He would reply back "rocks and grass" as a basic answer instead of yes or no. I always thought this was funny once he explained it to me. My mom did make a variety of food for her and my father, but I ate pancakes.

     I remember that distinct box. It was a blue box that my parents took out of the freezer. If I am correct, I think I would actually get upset in the evening if we didn't have any pancakes left. My parents let me get away with this for a long time, but they always made me eat my veggies too.  At some point it came time to stop eating just pancakes and broaden my horizon and from what I can tell from my mother, I didn't like that. One night she made me a chicken sandwich or something and gave it to me. She told me I had to eat it and I replied, "i'm suffereing". He he he. Yes I was quite sarcastic even with the aspergers.

Through the yeas I struggled to try new things just like any other child, but I hated my veggies. In grade school I got involved with girl scouts and unfortunately for me, my doctor knew about that. All through grade school my doc would convince me to eat veggies instead of pancakes, because girl scouts ate there veggies.