As you know, after much thought and consideration, Steve and I made the decision to send Ella back to school full time this fall. Based on her academic and physical needs, we were unable to fully meet them remotely. As a mom, I respect any decision other parents are making for their children and families. This ultimately was the best choice for ours.

It’s important to know, for purposes of painting the full picture, that the stroller we requested from the district has yet to arrive. It was confirmed it has been ordered, and will be out of production September 10th. At that time it will be shipped overnight to the medical equipment supplier. Once it’s received an appointment will need to be scheduled to adjust the stroller to fit Ella. At that time we will also get a tutorial on how to properly use it. In the meantime, we will be using the one we have. Let the record show, we requested a new stroller for Ella MONTHS ago. The district is in full denial on that. (If you could only see my shocked face).

That being said, Ella started school today. The bus came a little late, but that was to be expected, and allowed me extra time to snuggle and love on her before she left. I was a mess most of the morning so about 10:30 am Steve suggested I take a nap to pass the time. I was tossing and turning most of the night, with first day of school jitters. It seemed like a great idea to me. I secretly think he was tired of me repeating over and over how much I missed Ella.

Before I fully committed to sleeping, I checked my email one last time. In my inbox I had a message from one of Ella’s therapists from last year. She was letting me know that she would be providing therapy for Ella again this year. Within two hours of Ella being gone, things were taking an ugly turn. During our phone conversation with Ella’s principal back in July, we discussed our strong desire for an entirely new team of providers for Ella. Due to COVID, changing schools was highly unlikely so changing therapists was the next best thing. We also felt it was fair compromise based on the events of the past school year. She said she would do her best to make that happen and didn’t think it would be a problem. Clearly it was.

I emailed the principal for clarification on why this happened. Still waiting to hear back. I will be patient. I know these are stressful times and uncharted waters. I am sure she is super busy with more pressing issues. Therapies don’t officially start until next week so time is not of the essence quite yet. Stay tuned to see how this plays out. I also requested a list of her other therapists.

I finally fell asleep. At 12:45 pm my phone rings. It’s the nurse from Ella’s school. She called to inform me that Ella had three episodes. She described them as blank stares and said she was not responding when her name was called. I told her I sometimes think she does that on purpose and the real concern is more when her eyes roll back, she goes limp, and starts shaking. I thanked her for her call. It was definitely appreciated, but I began to wonder what was going on with Ella.

Less than five minutes after we hung up, the nurse called back. She sounded very upset. She apologized and said she wasn’t told the full story. Ella’s eyes had rolled back, she had gone limp, and she was shaking. I was slightly confused why those details were left out the first time they were describing what happened. She obviously was too. She assured me she checked Ella out all three times, and she was okay.

We hung up and I immediately messaged the neurologist. I asked her if she could please give me a call? She did, before dinner. She is going to review her blood work and EEG report tomorrow, but could offer no explanation as to why Ella was having these episodes at the moment. She was hoping that test results could provide more information. We will touch base tomorrow. I asked if it could be stress related? She said anything is possible. Change of routine could have potentially triggered them.

Other than the behind the scenes drama and episodes, Ella’s teacher said she had a great day. She was engaged in activities, ate all her lunch, helped feed herself, and overall enjoyed her day. Her teacher also said she took a twenty five minute nap. What impressed me the most was the level of communication. She really was all about sharing details, and based on the details she shared, it sounded like Ella truly did have a great day.

She had fallen asleep on the ride home and got off the bus tired. Dani was here and we both asked her questions about school and loved on her. She laughed and seemed super happy to see us. I was unsettled about the episodes Ella had at school, but overall I was pleased with the report of her day.

Before her driver left, as one final sprinkle on her donut for the day, he told us they waited over an hour to be unloaded from the bus this morning at school. That’s completely unacceptable. Ella was probably completely stressed out sitting there. The bus is one of her least favorite places. I would think this could have absolutely been a potential trigger for her episodes. Funny how no one at her school mentioned that when they called.

Today was an emotionally draining day for me so before I react impulsively, I want to gather some more information. I will continue to fight every battle for my sweet girl, as long as there are battles to be fought. All she needs to do is continue to be happy and bring joy to our lives. We will continue to be proud of her determination each and every day.

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