DINGS begins with eight-year-old Conner’s high-fever-related convulsion.
In the local ER the doctor performs a brain CT scan and then, to
rule-out meningitis, a spinal tap. The interplay of the parents and the
ER staff explains the medical situation, the procedures performed and
the parents’ distress,. The ER doctor refers Conner to a neurologist to
rule out possible epilepsy. The mother becomes distraught hearing that
term; how could her bright boy have a devastating condition that could
change his life, all their lives? Conner has never had a seizure and
neither has anyone else in the family. “My baby cannot have epilepsy.â€Â
The novel moves then to relive earlier months with Conner failing
school. His mother and school staff meet to discuss this. His father is
in Iraq. Sandra resents she must deal with her son’s serious school
problems alone. Conner’s non-convulsive epileptic mental blank-outs are
not recognized by the adults. He’s not fallen, he’s not convulsed in an
epileptic seizure. These spells are too confusing for the young boy to
explain to himself or to anyone else. His school mates think Conner
sometimes acts weird.
Psychologist’s and his pediatrician all miss Conner’s true diagnosis
prior to the convulsion on the first pages. Dad returns from his combat
tour, but he is changed by PTSD. Sandra must deal with her son’s school
difficulties and now her troubled marriage. Then Conner’s convulsion
happens.
In the neurologist’s office the doctor asks if Conner ever perceives
smells or tastes that aren’t really there, a neurological hallmark of
Conner’s type of undiagnosed complex partial seizures that only a
neurologist would query. These are identified by the doctor as a form of
epilepsy; the youngster refers to them as his dings. The family’s lives
all change. The neurologist supports the parents; he explains that it’s
common to live a normal life if the epilepsy in the three million
afflicted Americans can be controlled with anticonvulsant medications.
Mother realizes her baby may never again be normal, time will tell, but
they will all deal with it as do so many successful people in all walks
of life.
Details | |
---|---|
Publication date | November 03,2021 |
Language | English |
ISBN | (Paperback) |
978-1-63871-673-0 (E-BOOK) | |
Genre | Fiction, Contemporary |
Specifications | |
---|---|
Pages | 318 |
Interior Color | Black and White |
Book Size | 4.000" x 6.000" (152mm x 102 mm) |
Be the first to review.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *