Diagnosis and Treatment

Rana was once again the perfect little patient in the hospital. It hardly phased her to stay up all night on Wednesday so that she would fall asleep during her EEG on Thursday morning. We wandered through the entire hospital and played with a few other kids who were in a similar situation. And when it came time for the testing, Rana fell asleep on cue. She put up with the poking and proding and had a blast with her six-year-old roommate, Nuran, as you can see in the photo below!

Several hospital personel witnessed Rana's seizures and she had a few during her EEG, too, which gave the doctors a good look at just what is going on in that brain of hers.

Rana has officially been diagnosed with epilepsy. It appears that the seizures are only occurring in the areas of her brain that were damaged by her strokes, which is a good thing. We knew that this was a possibility and are sad that Rana's still having troubles, but we are very relieved to have a diagnosis and a plan for treatment. She has started taking medication to prevent the seizures, so she should be back to her old self soon!

Rana thought her crib was better suited for

climbing and jumping than for sleeping!

And she had a great time with her roommate Nuran,

who made the three-day stay in the hospital loads of fun!

Hoping for Clarity

While Rana is still having some seizures, she is doing much, much better. The seizures vary in intensity, so some of them hardly seem to phase her at all. We've been trying to keep her home more and out of the heat on hot summer days, and the cooler weather over the last few days seems to have helped immensely.

Rana finally has her next appointment with her neurologist on Wednesday. She'll have to stay in the hospital for an overnight EEG, so we are hoping that the doctors will get a good look at whatever is going on in that little brain of hers!



In spite of our worries, we are encouraged that Rana is her playful self most of the time - with unending amounts of energy, smiles and giggles.

Joane & Hendrik's Wedding

We traveled to the southern German town of Saarbrücken

this weekend for Joane and Hendrik's wedding.

We're so glad that we could celebrate with them,

and we wish them all the best as they start

the next phase of their life together!

Rana loved all of the festivities...

...and had a blast climbing on the many courthouse stairs,

checking out the fancy wedding hall,

especially the stained glass windows.

We all enjoyed the time away

and the night in the hotel.

Rana would like to thank her friend Thalia for handing down her old car seat,

which made the drive even more enjoyable.

A Difficult Week

Rana's had a difficult week or so. She started seizing randomly in June, and the seizures have become very frequent over the course of the last week. She had a check-up with her new pediatric neurolgist at the end of June and the EEG looked fine, so we are puzzled. Her doctor has scheduled another round of tests for the end of July, which should bring more clarity. Rana was very cooperative at her last appointment, so we are hoping that she endures the overnight stay in the hospital and the probing it entails with the same grace.

The beautiful summer weather has allowed for some great summertime fun, but the heatwave seems to be contributing to Rana's seizures, so we are hoping for some cooler temperatures soon!

In the mean time, we purchased a little air conditioning unit for our apartment and are trying to stay cool!

We are relieved that our semester is coming to a close this week so that we have more time to focus just on Rana. And hopefully she will be back to her fun-loving, energetic self soon!

25 Months Old!