tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41660063956804445892011-09-21T11:35:15.720-05:00This is our Family site. We are trying to keep family and friends updated on our lives, and our sons progress with his epilepsy. While our "adventures" to the Mayo Clinic are more of the main focus now, that will change as we make progress, and life continues to go on.The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.comBlogger751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-29231006576152595172010-12-20T15:57:00.000-06:002010-12-20T15:57:09.349-06:00

So we are officially back for another round of tests. We were asked to come back since they advised us that if his seizures continue he will have permanent brain damage, not exactly what we wanted to hear. This whole time we thought he was doing great, going from 12-20 plus a day to 1-3 a month from March to August, and 3-7 from August until today. We were wrong and now we are back. We have

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-27821526775812919702010-09-12T10:41:00.001-05:002010-09-12T10:58:20.371-05:00

I cannot wait until all of these stupid festivals are over, Since the middle of August it has been nothing but babysitting at these things. Normally I wouldn't complain, but lately I have been more easily annoyed at these things. Kids who think they can say whatever they want or don't have to listen to what we say, a whole bunch of "Entitlement" kids and parents who enable. Here's a good example

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-30033531395581620912010-09-07T12:25:00.000-05:002010-09-07T12:25:06.670-05:00

I hate being sick, It's just a head cold, but it sucks. Add to that my allergies that are bad enough I am suppose to be on shots for (Which I quit taking after a month) and you get a miserable me. Besides being sick and having allergies thing have been going well. The twins start pre-school in two days and X is still loving school. No more news in regards to X, he has been doing well. He went

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-40187977240324136022010-09-03T14:22:00.000-05:002010-09-03T14:22:53.738-05:00

So let me explain what caused Xander few seizures. On the Saturday after X's first week of school, Sarah gave X his meds. which caused him to question her on the dosage. We were then informed by our 5 year old son that the school nurse had only been giving him half of his afternoon meds. for the past week. At first we were unsure if this could be true, but Xander knows we do not joke about his

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-19085114583114778142010-08-27T09:06:00.000-05:002010-08-27T09:06:06.546-05:00

So, as mentioned in my previous post, I announce he is doing well and he has a seizure. Well, I was right, last night he had 2 seizures and this moring one more before school. Maybe that means I should just keep it all to myself.

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-75054337710226223822010-08-26T20:54:00.002-05:002010-08-27T09:02:55.128-05:00

We have almost 2 weeks of school under our belt and so far so good. It seems as if X really likes it, from our conversations with him it all seems positive. Bedtime is still an issue for us since all three are still in one room, I was not as big of a fan as Sarah was about this whole thing, so we will see how long this last. It seems like when X is sleepy the Twinkies are not and vise versa,

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-4416811999193800932010-08-23T01:58:00.000-05:002010-08-23T01:58:14.591-05:00

As of late, we have been receiving an increase of tele-marking calls; today I turned my frustration into laughter. I am not a professional crank caller nor have I ever done stand up comedy, I do think I am a little funny, and today I practiced. Tele-Marketers beware, calling my house is more fun for me, although I do think that you enjoy it as well. It is posted on my facebook site and hopefully

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-24950641835864900492010-08-18T02:00:00.000-05:002010-08-18T02:00:15.490-05:00

As I drove home from work tonight I heard a song on the radio that reminded me of our 2 months at the Mayo Clinic/St. Mary;s hospital. It was the Casting Crowns song, "Praise you in this Storm", I sat in front of my house and listened to most of it before I went inside. Lots of memories are associated with that song, most of them are in one way or another filled with hope, causing me to want to

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-13252367149186328522010-08-17T11:11:00.001-05:002010-08-19T14:56:29.548-05:00

     I can remember when X was a only about a month old, I would carry him around with me everywhere I went, those days are pretty much over. It seems unfair that after 5 plus years of me being able to hang out with him all day, I now am unable to. I know that I still have weekends, vacations and summer, but it is not the same, similar, but not the same. I also know that I just need to take

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-62010605154930702352010-08-17T01:41:00.001-05:002010-08-17T10:23:44.851-05:00

It's been forever since my last Blog, sorry. What started as me taking a break so I could enjoy my family outside of the confines of a hospital turned into me not wanting to allow strangers, or even friends into the realness of our lives. I know, very unfair, but after living one way for 30 years, one does not change overnight. That is what the apology is for. A lot has happened since the last

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-17639810719526865102010-04-07T14:29:00.000-05:002010-04-07T14:29:13.885-05:00

I apologize for not posting in a while, the days have been hectic to say the least. Before I begin explaining the craziness let me describe what happened the night we got home. After receiving orders to leave we had to head to the RMH in order to finish packing up our stuff and make good on our bill. It was after we packed up my truck, with the bed completely filled, that we realized that in

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-56501917978612730402010-03-30T19:28:00.000-05:002010-03-30T19:28:30.469-05:00

We are back home!!!!!!!!!!!!  I will post more on this later, we have so much house stuff to do, and things to put away. Hopefully by tonight I will have some time to share with you our reunion

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-39592118344281158242010-03-28T20:03:00.000-05:002010-03-28T20:03:01.520-05:00

What a day, X woke up in a great mood, and the day followed that route. No meltdowns, no rudeness, no irritation, no screaming; only smiles, playing outside, catching bugs, joking, laughter and love. We are about to get ready for bed, or at least begin winding down; X just told me “Man it’s getting dark outside, I can’t wait to go nite-nite”. I am assuming that the reason he even made a statement

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-746041272796404752010-03-27T19:10:00.000-05:002010-03-27T19:10:22.708-05:00

Well, what an interesting turn of events; last night after I got home I was just about to lay down to sleep when the home phone rang. It was 3am, and I immediately knew that whoever was calling was not calling with good news. I picked up the phone and saw the called ID had a Mayo Clinic number, my stomach dropped like I had just swallowed an anvil. I said “Hello”, and that is when Sarah began

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-86032922972674692002010-03-27T02:05:00.000-05:002010-03-27T02:05:05.596-05:00

I am not too sure what is going on with Xander right now other than he is having a really hard time. Besides pain that is much worse than the previous surgeries, he gave Sarah quite a scare around 730pm on Friday. He woke up with a night terror and the painkillers he was on were not helping things out. They had to call in some doctors to look at him then rushed him to get a CT Scan. Good news is

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-17659344128815585202010-03-24T13:27:00.000-05:002010-03-24T13:27:27.057-05:00

The boys and I got into town in record time despite stopping on the side of the road twice to go poop, lucky for me we have a portable potty that they were excited to use. That’s right folks the twins took a dump on the side of the road inside the van in a little potty, and they loved it. The wan was aired out in a few seconds, thanks to the 75mph wind coming through the window, and we were no

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-8412724758443314072010-03-21T20:15:00.000-05:002010-03-21T20:15:37.015-05:00

This must be quick, I am sorry, but I have been so busy with the twins and work; still no news on Xander, which means no seizures. So the question arises is no news good news? As far as the Dr.'s are concerned there are two schools of thought on this; the first being that the seizures are laying dormant and X will begin having his usual seizures sometime in the future. The second is better, X's

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-81774891719035111072010-03-19T22:19:00.000-05:002010-03-19T22:19:45.091-05:00

Still no more seizures, the stress of it all feels at times overwhelming. I drove back home yesterday with the twins. Again I am without a computer, but I have plenty of friends who have offered me the use of thier computer, so I will be able to keep you all updated. If X does not have any seizures by Wed. then we will have the grids removed and figure out the plan from there. I am not able to

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-58602835109932286182010-03-17T01:07:00.000-05:002010-03-17T01:07:38.574-05:00

How’s this for a post, I am pissed off, annoyed, and ready to be done with this crap. We kept X up all day, no naps and nonstop stimulation, until 930pm when he fell asleep. An hour, one friggin hour is all he slept, no more than before, and now at 1230 he has finally fell asleep again. I only had to deal with 2 hours of crying and X going crazy because he is itchy and there is nothing I can to

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-69101949216156493442010-03-16T21:28:00.000-05:002010-03-16T21:28:10.046-05:00

This post will not be long for two reasons, the first one being there is no news on the Xander front, and two, I think I am going to puke. We totally over stimulated X today in effort to induce a seizure or two; the last two nights have been unpleasant to say the least. We usually wake up once every 45 minutes due to an itchy head, and stay up for an hour or so until he calms down. Other than

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-10787648578960280692010-03-15T13:58:00.002-05:002010-03-15T13:58:18.523-05:00

I have recieved a few e-mails from people wanting to comment but unable to do so. I have finally corrected this issue. So feel free to try again if at first you were unable to.

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-69661769775596470112010-03-14T22:13:00.000-05:002010-03-14T22:13:11.196-05:00

What an interesting day it has turned out to be, first around 1240am X has a very strong seizure, which he seemed to be awake through and yell throughout. It was a much longer seizure than past ones, this one lasted easily more than 2 minutes; the rest of the night consisted of him waking up in discomfort, it never lasted more than a minute. This happened about 4 or 5 times causing Sarah, who was

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-52400789090321870222010-03-13T23:02:00.001-06:002010-03-13T23:05:23.150-06:00

Still no seizures, I think we all are going to go nuts. It is crazy to think that only weeks ago X was having about 10-15 seizures a day with medicine, and now on only one medicine (with a low dosage) he has not had one. I am not sure whether to be grateful or pissed off. I know what some of you may be saying, “You should be grateful, maybe he is done having seizures”, I WANT to believe that, but

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-89276626343715811512010-03-12T19:20:00.000-06:002010-03-12T19:20:24.366-06:00

I am sitting in this room bored out of my mind, I think having to go through this the second time around is more of a pain than the first time. We are still waiting, and waiting sucks; X has been having more Aura’s and is none to happy about that. I am pretty sure he is depressed, I can’t blame him for that; for 2 weeks he had no seizures, and the Aura’s were almost non-existent. Now he knows

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-24629332244533354462010-03-11T23:57:00.000-06:002010-03-11T23:57:55.660-06:00

The day has been fairly uneventful. It started out with X not wanting to eat anything, and ended that way too. X had an MRI earlier in the day, besides being understandably irritated, and screaming bloody murder for 5 seconds, he got through it like a champ. The Radiologist had nothing but praises for him afterward, commenting that he stayed still better than 90% of the people they see. X is

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-30828199208041910612010-03-10T17:31:00.000-06:002010-03-10T17:31:41.625-06:00

I apologize for not updating sooner, I was literally being smothered by all three boys who refused to allow me time to myself. Poor Israel missed me so much he refused to leave my side, even to sleep, when I had to discipline him (Time-out) for trying to bite his brother he cried so hard I actually felt really bad. Zane screamed like a banshee when I took the elevator without him and when I went

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-56457642928555160602010-03-07T21:23:00.001-06:002010-03-07T21:24:02.192-06:00

I am back in computer land, I was without one for about 2 weeks, 2 very long weeks. My computer was dropped and the power cord was shoved into the computer, not allowing me to recharge it; we are still not sure if we are going to pay the $250 to fix it considering we bought it at Nebraska Furniture Mart on black Friday for $150. This will not be a long post, I just wanted to let everyone know I

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-76538330977979767052010-02-27T23:37:00.001-06:002010-02-27T23:37:29.095-06:00

Sorry, still no computer and there is no way I am posting from this blackberry. March 9th he has his functional MRI and based on how that goes the 10th could be surgery or not. Once I get my computer back I'll post more info.

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-80782194463618666222010-02-25T21:21:00.000-06:002010-02-25T21:21:53.733-06:00

Sorry there has been no post lately, I am without a computer and am not to sure when I am getting mine back (It's in for repairs). I just wanted to let you know that there is news, I cannot get into details, as my time is limited, but I can quickly let you know what is going on. The Neurologist called and they had their meeting today, where X was presented. In a nutshell (Again I do not have a

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-45188755789208591692010-02-21T21:02:00.000-06:002010-02-21T21:02:39.191-06:00

This is not going to be a long post, there is not much to update. Xander seems to be having panic attacks or something like that, he becomes really distressed everytime someone new comes in, whether it is a doctor or a nurse. He is only comfortable with his usual nurses or doctors. I am going to try to talk the Dr.'s into letting us do outpatient therapy, only for X's sake; he has had it here, we

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-22737500882811618052010-02-20T01:17:00.001-06:002010-02-20T09:11:55.695-06:00

It is11:45pm on a Friday, X has been asleep for the last hour and a half (His last meds are at 10), and I have just finished watching a movie my friend Jesse recommended, Ink. I really haven't had the time to watch this movie until now, I tried watching it a few days ago, but I was too distracted by every move X made in the night. I watched the entire thing tonight on Hulu and I was really

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-18849045567288394452010-02-18T19:58:00.000-06:002010-02-18T19:58:23.581-06:00

Xander eating Bacon, the food he eats with every meal because he can Sorry about not putting up a post the last two days, we are still down to one laptop, I had a friend attempt to fix the one with the broken ac line, and 2 hours later it pushed back in, oh well. It is 8am, I have been in this room for 20 minutes and all I can hear is the boy next door screaming; this is a continuance of

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-39020644324494998822010-02-15T16:11:00.000-06:002010-02-15T16:11:40.753-06:00

I would like to thank my parents who graciously helped every one of our nurses, our doctor’s, our visitors as well as my family; they bought us a bathroom spray. I know some people may not want to hear this, so if I was you I would skip down to paragraph #4; but it is a real issue and must not be ignored. I have yet to meet one person on this earth that does not go #2; if you know of one I must

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-69774412233629887182010-02-14T16:26:00.001-06:002010-02-14T16:35:13.940-06:00

I am so frustrated, besides Xander having his first seizure in days, this morning, the weekend team is living up to the reputation they have with us of being incompetent. Well maybe not incompetent, but defiantly annoying and a bit on the knee-jerk reaction side. Xander takes 120mg of Dilantin a day, the nurse (Our least favorite so far, and the first one to be a repeat nurse for us) came in and

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-5736963511295624272010-02-13T22:51:00.000-06:002010-02-13T22:51:38.014-06:00

As I was about to go to sleep I prayed for my Xander, I couldn't help but look at how handsome he is, despite his still swollen face. I am so thankful to have him here, he is such an example of strength to me, and he is only 5. As time goes on I continue to hear stories of how X has impacted people, of how people who normally don't pray are praying, and those who have not sought God for years are

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-46588982970201711152010-02-13T21:14:00.000-06:002010-02-13T21:14:58.802-06:00

This is how he lives The last few days have been fairly uneventful, besides the annoyance of a new nurse in the morning and again at night every day, if that is the worst of our problems, we gladly accept it. I read of few of the post, and can chuckle at the fact that I am complaining about new nurses and not a serious medical issue. This is after our Helicopter Tour (Take a good look at it

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-70493860087423481632010-02-11T22:55:00.000-06:002010-02-11T22:55:03.180-06:00

Last night was the first night I left Xander's side in a week; I had to tell him I was going to leave, and that his mom and Mindi were going to have a sleep over with him. He was not too sure about it at first, but after some more talking he allowed me to leave, I was torn about leaving, but I really needed sleep. I have been going on 3-4 hrs. of sleep for the last week, sometimes not sleeping at

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-90988861686193313242010-02-09T22:52:00.001-06:002010-02-09T22:55:06.312-06:00

I am going to post a very long and detailed post tomorrow, it will have everything that has gone down the last two days. Thanks for being patient, and for all of the words of encouragement, advice, and words of knowledge (from your own experiences). I have recieved so much encouragement, and recieved calls from people I would have never thought would call or encourage. That in itself was enough

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-3222722429730809612010-02-08T14:43:00.000-06:002010-02-08T14:43:03.099-06:00

As I type this, against my will, I want to remind you that you are getting an inside look into my heart. This is not a whining session; this is more or less my raw emotions as I try to work through them. I am not too sure where to start, I am not crushed, far from it, but I feel a certain and very strong almost overpowering weariness. I am really tired of the ups and downs, the highs and lows,

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-55136722759912983672010-02-08T08:09:00.000-06:002010-02-08T08:09:08.818-06:00

In the last 48 hours we have been blessed beyond measure, encouraged to no end, prayed for with fervor, and heard some amazing stories. Xander has come along nicely since his surgery, while he is still on a very strong dose of anti-epileptic medicine, I am cautiously optimistic that he will not fall into that 14%. I have been going through in my head plans of how to handle different scenarios

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-79236160206466171432010-02-07T12:09:00.000-06:002010-02-07T12:09:07.988-06:00

I just realized that I had not put up a surgery #2 post, so here it is. I am going to explain what happened, and what lies ahead.. Our neurologist Dr. Wirrell, and the rest of the team were able to locate the exact spot of his seizure, the epicenter, if you will. Since that was able to be completed Dr. Wetjen (Neurosurgeon) was able to test this during the surgery, he was actually able to

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-26589608216644850452010-02-07T03:54:00.000-06:002010-02-07T03:54:16.041-06:00

There is not much to post now other than Xander is sleeping and has not had a seizure in almost 12 hours. While he is super drugged up,, and it would make sense that he has not had any seizures, there is a part of me that knows if it were not for God I would not be able to tell you it has been 12 hours. He still cannot move his right side of his body, his mouth, arm, fingers, leg, and toes, the

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-17681191643229779682010-02-06T13:25:00.002-06:002010-02-06T16:12:01.968-06:00

I have changed the title to this post. It was "What the hell is going on" After hours of praying I felt the tug to change this. It is 8:40am and Sarah and I are sitting in the room waiting for the neurology team to come in to talk to us. The very thoughts of “Did we do all this for nothing? Is all we are going to get out of this experience a huge scar, missing brain and a pissed off boy?” send

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-7832109596400602132010-02-05T14:00:00.003-06:002010-02-05T14:30:50.383-06:00

I pray that this is the hardest decision we ever have to make; I cannot imagine ever having to make a harder one. I will explain to you all, who have fought, prayed, cried, and rejoiced with us, how the last 24hrs have come to pass. I promise to you that, as I always try to be, I will be real, and the first order of business is this sucks. Around 10pm last night X had his first seizure, we were

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-64650653220457932132010-02-04T19:06:00.001-06:002010-02-04T19:59:09.140-06:00

Praying for seizures is odd, it definitely does not feel natural, and there are times when Sarah and I laugh about it. The reality is we really need X to have one now; in order to move on Doctors need to see a few typical seizures, the spikes are not enough. The few spikes that he has had do show a consistent focal area, and that particular area has a very good percentage of being able to be

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-48095539231793870332010-02-04T00:38:00.000-06:002010-02-04T00:38:02.948-06:00

OK, Pictures for the last post are up. I only put a few in since it is already midnight. We have had X back with us since a little after 6pm. He pretty much has been sleeping this whole time, and waking up every time I get up saying in a very weak voice "Daddy". I finally asked him if I could get up around 11:30 so I could eat, he finally said OK and asked for his mommy. I could tell she was

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-20072041793764087962010-02-03T14:17:00.002-06:002010-02-03T23:55:34.558-06:00

Last night was very long, very little sleep, and the sleep we did get was not very restful. I will say that we both feel OK, which may be due in part to the fact we are running on adrenaline. This morning we woke up around 8am and got ready to go to St. Mary's Hospital; my mom, who came up with us to watch the twins (YEAH for Grandma), took care of the Twinkies for us. Since we are only one block

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-51497663926561153592010-02-02T23:27:00.000-06:002010-02-02T23:27:32.076-06:00

I will keep you all updated on how things are going tomorrow. I can't sleep, even though I am running on 4 hours of sleep. I have X next to me cuddled up, and Iz on the other side sprawled out. These kids are just like their mom when they sleep, hot; and by hot I mean like a furnace hot. Well only a few hours until we start this whole surgery thing, I have so many thoughts running in my mind I

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-61086533153531012412010-01-30T01:14:00.001-06:002010-01-30T09:14:21.238-06:00

I would have done this earlier, but it was a long day, plus I am still recovering. So this post will be more pictures than reading, the pictures tell a better story than I can. My hair was an easy 13-14 inches long, I know it doesn't look like it, but it is super curly. And I know I do not look happy, but this picture was taken early this morning as I rushed to shower, get all the kids ready

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-87012766632990938262010-01-27T22:13:00.000-06:002010-01-27T22:13:14.596-06:00

Most of our family and friends already know a lot about this trip, because of our facebook page, emails and multi-texts. If you are new to this site, and want more info. feel free to contact us, and we are more than willing to share our experience with you. Since Xander's surgery is less than 2 weeks away, you will have to excuse this post because for the most part I am going to stick to the

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-39037340867305333652010-01-27T14:07:00.000-06:002010-01-27T14:07:57.579-06:00

The first item on the agenda is my friend Erica (AKA: NOT the boss of me) is coming to visit this weekend. Great news for all of us since we get to see her sweet baby Ella, and in case you didn't know, my boys LOVE baby girls. The twins are like old faithful dogs; they will retrieve toys of their own and literally place them at the feet of baby girls. Xander will coo at the baby, and direct the

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-33475035614744921622010-01-26T02:21:00.001-06:002010-01-27T02:23:52.145-06:00

When someone asks me "Where do you live?" I reply Dundee. That is often followed by "Oh my gosh, how do you like living there?" I then explain that living there is a lot like living in Mayberry. Now some of you may have never watched the re-runs, or know what I am talking about but there once was a show called "The Andy Griffith Show" (There may even be some of you who watched it when it first

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-24064050856556226222010-01-23T22:54:00.001-06:002010-01-23T23:21:08.993-06:00

As of now we are still trying to figure out the details of our next trip. Who, if anyone can watch the twins (I am super picky on who watches them) until my parents can bring them up to us. If my parents can bring them up to us. We want to be able to totally focus on X, but we realize that we may have to take them up too. We are trying to get all of our bills in order so that none of them are

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-14896276641799030942010-01-21T14:19:00.002-06:002010-01-21T14:24:11.519-06:00

If this post doesn't make sense it's because I worked 12 hours yesterday and I am going on 4 hours of sleep. The day after the cognitive test were completed, we met with X's Neuro-Surgeon Dr. Wetjen. Here's the crazy/funny part. We were told by the Neuro-psychologist that X and Dr. Wetjen looked very much like they could be brothers, we were like, sure they do. After waiting in the room for

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-10944648682275294632010-01-20T14:26:00.000-06:002010-01-20T14:26:33.143-06:00

So after talking to the surgeon we need a few things to fall into place in order for these to be successful surgeries. I will list them in order. 1) They are going to place the Grid on his entire left side of his brain, during this they will be trying to locate exactly where the seizures are originating. The problem lies in the fact that sometimes kids stop having seizures for a period of time

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-77226489782040787062010-01-19T11:42:00.010-06:002010-01-20T13:34:12.814-06:00

This is Xander doing his best thinking man impersonationYesterday Xander had his cognitive test completed. Good news and bad news. The test were basically broken down into three categories and are testing his cognitive ability (here's a link if you want to know more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_test ). He emphasized to us that X was too young for an IQ test, and the earliest you can do

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-667310774814662942010-01-18T23:27:00.006-06:002010-01-20T14:50:31.208-06:00

Seriously I never knew that staying at a clowns house would be so awesome. We totally love it. Everything about the place is great, and everyone here, staff and residents are all so nice. We were told that some families have stayed here for more than a year. They have these journals in your room that you can write your story in to share with the next resident, I read some and they really open

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-23409119594074459072010-01-18T17:53:00.004-06:002010-01-20T13:32:15.062-06:00

Life after Mayo the 2nd time to Mayo the 3rd time was interesting to say the least. At the time we had Xander in soccer and baseball, he actually did well in both but a bit better in baseball. He was going to pre-school 5 days a week, and totally soaking it up. The seizures had not changed, but we thought that in no time soon would we have this figured out.Well then the seizures started becoming

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-14685635179100584682010-01-18T11:23:00.006-06:002010-01-18T15:59:20.137-06:00

Honestly, the Mayo Clinic is simply put, Amazing. I try to be aware of the spiritual realm of things and I feel like the air is filled with healing. I dunno, maybe I am crazy or maybe the lack of sleep has affected my sanity. I started thinking that while I was sitting in the cafe, watching all the people. I watched two Doctors, or Med. students reviewing books, and talking about something

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-59857144254454182882010-01-17T22:46:00.005-06:002010-01-18T00:00:24.618-06:00

There's a race going on in my mind right now as I type, and my sleep is losing. Interestingly enough I am wide awake right now; I was able to get about a 20 minute nap in before Sarah came in and woke me up (unintentionally of course). I have been up ever since. I tried going to sleep, even tried the sheep counting thing. My head is racing with thoughts, so much so that I finally gave up and

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-32760009185244959542010-01-16T16:42:00.003-06:002010-01-17T21:23:56.610-06:00

I got about 3 hours of sleep, Sarah got less, the boys ended up with about 9. The ride to the Mayo Clinic started at 5, plans changed to 5:30. The Fog was thick enough you could only see about 20-30 feet in front of you for about 2 hours, no Joke or exaggeration. When the boys finally woke up around 8, they were not happy, they like to cuddle Mommy or Daddy when they wake up. Everyone had a short

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-88995150404785253122010-01-16T15:28:00.003-06:002010-01-16T22:35:24.450-06:00

So after our first and successful trip to Mayo, we started feeling better about everything. The medicine at first seemed to work, the frequency lessened, and then about a week later it seemed as if the floodgates had opened. Xander used to tell us that he "felt" the "shakes/wiggles", but they never affected him that we could see, after about a week on meds. we could see. We called the Mayo and

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-89405607237876746922010-01-16T12:33:00.003-06:002010-01-16T13:33:37.898-06:00

Well, yesterday I had intended to write some more historical stuff, but was forced to change my plans due to unplanned events that took place. Mainly another trip to the ER, this time, I was able to take it all in stride, not missing a beat. Here's how it went.Sarah took Zane to an appointment early morning and X was at preschool, leaving me and Israel free reign of the house. As soon as the

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-29738943217663178362010-01-12T13:22:00.003-06:002010-01-14T00:52:34.614-06:00

Needless to say, I have been super busy with work, part-times, family, and circumstances. Not to mention shoveling the snow and melting the ice that has built up on our roof from the two massive blizzards in Dec. And yes, I am shoveling snow off my roof, twice it was as high as mid-thigh. If I am not able to complete another historical post soon, I should be able to finish one or two while we are

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-75957132515480588382010-01-11T23:44:00.003-06:002010-01-12T13:57:25.517-06:00

I listen to talk radio, and sometimes it drives my wife nuts. When I first started listening to it with her she really hated it, she would say "Why are you listening to this, old people listen to this". I get it from my parents, they listened to it when I was growing up. The funny thing is I hated it at first, then it started growing on me. I remember being like 11 years old, sitting in the back

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-83803219542622410942010-01-07T09:18:00.004-06:002010-01-10T04:23:59.731-06:00

This is going to be very raw, if you don't want that, or like what I say here is your warning. It is 2:50am, I just got home from work. I am not happy. Our lives have been such a roller coaster, emotionally, with victories/good luck and failure/bad luck (For lack of a better term), with Xander, and our family life, and I am ready to be done with it.Whoever is reading this, I have a plea, please

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-31007251677016604342010-01-06T14:26:00.007-06:002010-01-07T02:17:35.569-06:00

Well here it finally is, as I promised. This post has been really hard to get to since I am still trying to get through the past events, and up to date. I had mentioned in an earlier post that God had been preparing us for this time, and I really believe that. I am going to take the next few paragraphs to explain a bit about us, so your not lost.I am 30 years old, and have grown up in a "

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-18904540811159617652010-01-04T22:49:00.005-06:002010-01-06T14:23:25.384-06:00

It was a long and lonely road, not much to see other than the corn growing, and the clouds changing shapes. I sat in my truck wondering if I was going to stay awake driving through the state God had forgotten. Iowa was a place where even Angels feared to tread........ I thought that beginning was appropriate, considering the title. I did forget something in "The Beginning III" that I want to add

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-88454961460646593402010-01-04T01:43:00.000-06:002010-01-04T09:28:08.316-06:00

Looking through these post made me realize how stressed and heavy our lives have been this last year (2009), so I wanted to share some good news. I think that in the last year we have been so blessed by so many people that I am going to forget someone or something. If that happens please forgive me, if you are really bothered about it write me, but you should kind of just get over it.I am not

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-2230358798662112322010-01-02T12:47:00.001-06:002010-01-04T23:09:22.378-06:00

I was thinking about all of these "Beginning" post and I started laughing cause they are so long. I think as you read on you'll see why I post these as "The Beginning", there has been so much that has happened now, and I really feel like we just started "The Middle". I don't really like that title, so I'll have to come up with something better. Anyway, here we go.....Tuesday the 17th of March

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-35249878301265725642010-01-02T00:51:00.000-06:002010-01-02T02:41:58.105-06:00

I am not the type of person who makes resolutions, or says "I know this year is gonna be my year" I try to make changes in my life when changes need to happen, and I know that I am not in control of how my year is or is not going to be. By that I mean I don't believe in "chance" or "luck". I say that not to offend anyone, merely to explain the way I am. That being said, I found it so very

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-47837163387782528062009-12-30T19:50:00.000-06:002009-12-30T22:03:19.402-06:00

OK, this is getting ridiculous. Here's a list of stuff that has gone wrong and when it has done so.The Day before we leave to the Mayo Clinic1) Sarah pulls out of the driveway and due to the cold the side mirror on my truck breaks. I cut the bush back, with a saw, that caused this (it was weighted down with snow and ice)2) Zane jumps off the bed and into the glass french doors. He is rushed to

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-30257325531635254572009-12-30T12:52:00.000-06:002009-12-31T17:15:58.171-06:00

On this Post I will try to cover everything that happened from October 13, 2008 to our first ER visit. It may be long so be prepared.Just some side notes that are interesting to us, back when Xander was about 2 1/2 years old he would tell Sarah that his right hand didn't work right. He was pretty much left handed from about 2 on. Now if you know Xander you know that he is very bright and

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-87927292400397157962009-12-30T10:15:00.000-06:002009-12-30T11:25:16.195-06:00

Looking back October 12, 2008 was a bittersweet day. On one hand my beautiful sister is married, that's the sweet part. On the other hand our sweet Xander has his first freak out, and I am the first one to see his hand having a seizure (The bitter part). Back then we called it hand wiggles, its a silly name, but there is nothing silly about it now.I remember it so vividly, it was a cool and very

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4166006395680444589.post-34832266519712664442009-12-29T23:29:00.001-06:002010-01-12T13:22:00.057-06:00

Why all this? That's a pretty good question, one I asked myself over and over again. The answer? Because I can't shake it, as soon as all of this became serious about 10 months ago I have felt like doing something like this. It always helps me to write out how I feel, that's just the way I am. I continued to ignore this feeling until recently; mid-december I started a Facebook page for Xander, so

The Torres Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292855132437361520noreply@blogger.com1