I will just start at the beginning here. When I started working full time night shifts in July, I began experiencing episodes of racing thoughts, blurry vision, feeling faint followed by being nauseated. The episodes last no longer than a couple minutes but are terrifying & seem to happen often when I am alone with the children which is even more terrifying. After an episode on Labor Day which included me stumbling to the backdoor, opening it & laying down on the ground to get Robby's attention while he was outside we decided to pull the plug on my full time work. I spoke with my managers that week & switched to 3 shifts a month which is less than I have ever worked. I was feeling a bit better & had two weeks free of these episodes but the third week I had it happen two more times in completely different scenarios than previously experienced & when I felt mostly rested. At that point I was officially READY to see a Neurologist!
We went to an appointment on Tuesday expecting to be there for an hour visit. The doctor was excellent & seemed to be much more concerned than I was about what was happening. He said the symptoms seem like seizure-like activity. Seizures can often be triggered by exhaustion....something I had been living with since starting that crazy night shift schedule. Our hour visit turned into seven hours spent there that day. He was interested in moving forward rather quickly that afternoon & got me scheduled for an MRI of my brain & an EEG. By the time we went to bed that night I was feeling anxious to find out results but knew we would be waiting a couple days. Robby prayed for us as we went to bed that night & the Lord really used those moments to calm my mind. I slept well until woken by a screaming child covered in vomit....child number 2 of the week. We are never promised a good nights' rest ; )
I had my follow up appt this afternoon & although we don't have a clear diagnosis at this point we were overjoyed to hear that my MRI was completely normal praise the Lord! My EEG showed some potentially abnormal activity but not enough to make a diagnosis. In trying to avoid just starting a medication, his recommendation was to do an ambulatory EEG for 3 days which means I get to wear the super cool electrodes & cap while doing my usual daily routine....should be entertaining for the kids & husband haha! He is hoping to catch an episode during that time span & we will meet again to discuss findings. In the mean time, I must adhere to the previously stated orders of no driving, swimming (less likely in Texas than Florida during October), bath giving or anything else potentially dangerous.
So... it looks like I will be home bound with smelly kids for a while ; ) Thankfully my mom is coming in Saturday & will drive me & the kids to my parents home in Houston for the week. My EEG is scheduled to begin on Monday the 13th & will end on Wednesday the 15th. We will return to review those findings & pray that the test offers more insight into what is happening & how to treat it appropriately. Thanks to some caring managers that have offered much encouragement & kind words throughout this month, I am off work until the 12th which has worked out alright considering the Ebola patient is at my hospital! What a wild week in Dallas! Sidenote- Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is absolutely wonderful & I am proud to be a part of the team there. I have no doubt that his care will be handled incredibly well.
We are feeling thankful this afternoon after a couple days of contemplating all the things that could be happening. In many ways we feel like the pregnancy with the boys ( that had more ups & downs in 9 months than I had experienced in my entire life) prepared us to trust the Lord knowing that His promises never change despite information we are given. I did expect life to slow down a bit once we got settled in Texas after our half-cross country move but here we are!
We are thankful to be near family & friends here that are caring for us. It brings to mind the incredible care we received from our Florida family throughout our time there. In fact, I received a message from a dear friend Rose completely out of the blue this week. We texted back & forth for awhile on Wednesday. She had no clue what was going on with me & once I filled her in, the Lord saw fit to use her words to remind me of his unending faithfulness. She almost immediately wrote "you have been at these crossroads it seems many times before & I can't help but be reminded at how incredibly faithful God has been!" Truth spoken, received & processed resulting in being reminded that God has never left us, He draws near to us, He will cause us to persevere & we trust that He has our best in mind as we face a new trial.
Please join us in praying for-
- increased trust in the Lord
- sanity for us as we are a bit home bound in the coming weeks with no driving for mama
- good rest for me in hope of preventing any more episodes
- on the flipside, pray for an episode to occur while I am being monitored on the continuous EEG on the 13th
- a clear diagnosis & treatment by the physician
- patience for the kids as life feels a bit different right now
- if it is the Lord's will, that He would heal me
Thank you for praying.
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