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DINGS
“DINGS” tells of a mother’s struggle to support her son in the midst of a mysterious condition. Conner’s school believes that he is not ready for promotion into the third grade. His teacher recommends that he repeat the second grade. Conner’s dad is on a combat tour in 2006-7 Iraq; the adults in the boy’s life assume that stress and anxiety about his father serving in a combat theater have interfered with his school achievement. Meanwhile, Sandra is embittered; she is forced to deal with her son’s problem alone.
A psychologist identifies Conner’s anxieties and works to alleviate the child’s stress. But, the boy’s actual condition eludes the adults. He has unrecognized blank outs—his friends think that he acts “weird” sometimes.
Sandra’s husband returns from war, but all is not well. He has changed. She recognizes PTSD symptoms—Sam drinks more, snaps at the family and he has bad dreams—yet, he denies that anything is wrong. Sandra’s emotional stresses mount. She sees that her husband is incapable of emotionally supporting her as they struggle to understand their son’s difficulties; she is uncertain that she can keep her family together.
One night, Conner gets a high fever and he has a convulsion. At the local E.R., he has a brain CT scan and he gets a spinal tap. The doctor suggests to the parents that epilepsy is a possible cause of the convulsion. He refers Conner to a neurologist. Sandra interprets the mere mention of epilepsy as a personal affront. How could her son have such a stigmatizing and debilitating disease? He has never had any seizures before.
All of their lives change when they meet the neurologist. When epilepsy is diagnosed, Conner’s mother is devastated. She questions if her child can be considered normal now—could he ever really lead a normal life?
The reader will accompany this family as they travel their fascinating joint clinical and emotional journey to help their son. Sixty million people worldwide, including three million Americans, are afflicted with epilepsy.
DINGS is fascinating and educational reading for anyone, and especially those touched directly or indirectly by this condition.
For the readers’ convenience, a practical glossary of epilepsy terms and medical information is appended at the end of the book.
A psychologist identifies Conner’s anxieties and works to alleviate the child’s stress. But, the boy’s actual condition eludes the adults. He has unrecognized blank outs—his friends think that he acts “weird” sometimes.
Sandra’s husband returns from war, but all is not well. He has changed. She recognizes PTSD symptoms—Sam drinks more, snaps at the family and he has bad dreams—yet, he denies that anything is wrong. Sandra’s emotional stresses mount. She sees that her husband is incapable of emotionally supporting her as they struggle to understand their son’s difficulties; she is uncertain that she can keep her family together.
One night, Conner gets a high fever and he has a convulsion. At the local E.R., he has a brain CT scan and he gets a spinal tap. The doctor suggests to the parents that epilepsy is a possible cause of the convulsion. He refers Conner to a neurologist. Sandra interprets the mere mention of epilepsy as a personal affront. How could her son have such a stigmatizing and debilitating disease? He has never had any seizures before.
All of their lives change when they meet the neurologist. When epilepsy is diagnosed, Conner’s mother is devastated. She questions if her child can be considered normal now—could he ever really lead a normal life?
The reader will accompany this family as they travel their fascinating joint clinical and emotional journey to help their son. Sixty million people worldwide, including three million Americans, are afflicted with epilepsy.
DINGS is fascinating and educational reading for anyone, and especially those touched directly or indirectly by this condition.
For the readers’ convenience, a practical glossary of epilepsy terms and medical information is appended at the end of the book.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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January 21, 2014It's an intriguing medical mystery. An 8 year old is failing school. He's bright. His dad is serving in Iraq in 2007. The adults persue psychological evaluations and testing. No one recognizes his blank out non-convulsive seizures. Quite emotional. I could feel the mom's fears and confusion.
March 17, 2019
After the first four chapters, there was a good story in there. In chapter two or three, I got the mother and daughter mixed up too much for my taste. Chapter four had a clunky, italicized, point of view and perspective shift explaining a medical procedure. I think it may have helped the story, but I wondered (and still wonder) if there was a better way to include it. It also started more with the end or the middle of the realizations, which isn't wrong, but left me feeling as if this didn't flow smoothly. Perhaps just letting the events unfold naturally would have left me with a more satisfying story. The mother's character felt as if she was written on a pendulum. I almost wish the author had taken her pendulum one way or the other and let it stay there.
However, after chapter four, and once you got around the semi-chronological arrangement there was a good story in there. It is a story of a seven-eight year old boy who's parents are coming to understand he has a serious medical condition not often discussed. This story should read as a balm to parents who are going through this. It does seem a bit on the predictable side, though the ending did exceed my expectations and left my heart-warmed. It was a good, and necessary story--which are often the trickiest to tell.
However, after chapter four, and once you got around the semi-chronological arrangement there was a good story in there. It is a story of a seven-eight year old boy who's parents are coming to understand he has a serious medical condition not often discussed. This story should read as a balm to parents who are going through this. It does seem a bit on the predictable side, though the ending did exceed my expectations and left my heart-warmed. It was a good, and necessary story--which are often the trickiest to tell.
November 16, 2022
Seizures explained
Written in simple lay-person's language, this story makes it easy for everyone to understand what seizures are and what different kinds they are. It is almost a complete encyclopedia of that awful and usually scary condition that people often don't understand or adopt a careless attitude towards. Thanks to the author for putting it in the form of storytelling for readers to grasp the importance of a major medico-psycho-social issue and accept it as a norm and a part of a daily life.
Written in simple lay-person's language, this story makes it easy for everyone to understand what seizures are and what different kinds they are. It is almost a complete encyclopedia of that awful and usually scary condition that people often don't understand or adopt a careless attitude towards. Thanks to the author for putting it in the form of storytelling for readers to grasp the importance of a major medico-psycho-social issue and accept it as a norm and a part of a daily life.
October 7, 2023
A real life horror story.
"Dings" tells the story of how a mother deals with her 8 year-old son that has epileptic seizures. The poor mother has to deal with the situation all by herself, since the boy's father is in Iraq.
Anyone that has, or knows someone with epilepsy can understand this and will find this novel to be a wealth of information. "Dings" is well written by, Lance Fogan, a real-life retired neurologist.
"Dings" tells the story of how a mother deals with her 8 year-old son that has epileptic seizures. The poor mother has to deal with the situation all by herself, since the boy's father is in Iraq.
Anyone that has, or knows someone with epilepsy can understand this and will find this novel to be a wealth of information. "Dings" is well written by, Lance Fogan, a real-life retired neurologist.
December 27, 2022
So relatable
I felt for poor Connor! I never convulsed, but his dings sound so familiar. Epilepsy stigma is sooo real, and the author definitely showed that off, all while educating people about the realities of epilepsy; it's not a death sentence, it's not contagious, and it is real.
I felt for poor Connor! I never convulsed, but his dings sound so familiar. Epilepsy stigma is sooo real, and the author definitely showed that off, all while educating people about the realities of epilepsy; it's not a death sentence, it's not contagious, and it is real.
June 3, 2019
Why
This is about a young boy who s dad just gets back from Iraq and they realize his son has been having seizures and has epilepsy
This is about a young boy who s dad just gets back from Iraq and they realize his son has been having seizures and has epilepsy
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews