Miss Mira: Going Well

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Going Well

Things have been going very well for Mira over the past few days. She has been having only one seizure every other day, since last Thursday, which is fantastic! She has been giggling and smiling more, and doing very well in therapy.

Once again, she got a REALLY big kick out of 'The Bunz' this evening, making some strange laughing noises which I have never heard before. She became very animated and excited as soon as I pulled the string!

Sunday night Sarah and I attended the 26th Annual Tiny Tim, a formal fundraiser for the Lee Ann Britain Development Center (also called the IDC) where Mira gets many of her therapies. It was amazing to see the turnout and generosity from so many people giving to such a great cause.

2 comments:

JSmith5780 said...: Bongrats on the control you are receiving with Lyrica. Mira has struggled for so long...she (and you and your family) deserve this break. I hope it continues and Lyrica will be her miracle drug.
Jen mom to Austin; November 7, 2007 at 6:26 AM
JSmith5780 said...: Yeah, that's CONGRATS!; November 7, 2007 at 6:27 AM

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Mira's Brief Story

Mira was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms (I.S.) in September 2005. Since her diagnosis is part of larger picture of issues, including developmental delay, and hypsarrhythmia, Mira was originally diagnosed with West Syndrome.

Hypsarrhythmia represents a completely chaotic and disorganized EEG background pattern consisting of high amplitude slow waves and spikes that are asynchronous, non-rhythmic, and variable in duration. The common combination of seizures/spasms, developmental delay, and hypsarrhythmia constitutes the form of infantile epilepsy, West syndrome.

Since Mira has what is described as a catastrophic epilepsy and has multiple seizure types, she has also been diagnosed with Atypical Dravet Syndrome (SMEI), Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), and at even Atypical Rett Syndrome. While a host of early genetic testing failed to find a typical mutation, deletion, or mosaicism in the typical genetic markers for these syndromes, it does not rule out other possible associated genetic markers that have yet to be discovered. Mira has also been tested for a series of other random genetic syndromes, through partial genome sequencing and a few individual microarrays.

In 2015, a heterozygous mutation of TPP1 was found through a genetic epilepsy panel. We do not have a definitive answer as to whether this mutation (associated with NCL - Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis) is relevant to Mira's diagnosis.

Mira has tried nearly every anti-seizure medication, finding brief 'success' with Lyrica, her 14th medication. Mira was seizure free* for about 6 months in late 2007 and into early 2008.

*(Her EEG never improved during this period, which means that she was still clinically having seizures and that the Lyrica was simply masking the symptoms. Visible seizures slowly surfaced after about 5 1/2 months of being on Lyrica.)

She received weekly OT/PT, vision, feeding, aqua, and group therapy up until 2011. She now receives PT/OT and other therapies through the school district. Mira also did hippotherapy for the summer in 2008 as well.

For Mira's longer story, please visit the January 2007 Archive. For an explanation on this blog, visit the January 2, 2017 post.

Medications Tried - in Chronological Order