We
are once again in need of prayer. Bob has experienced a setback in the
past week, with a significant decline in his memory function and to some
extent his cognitive processing as well. Most things seem to slip out
of his memory almost immediately, so that he asks the same questions and
wants help rehearsing what have been the events and activities of his
day again and again. He is pleasant and happy to help with things around
the house, but unloading the dishwasher sets off a fresh scavenger hunt
for where things belong every morning. It has been disconcerting and
worrisome for us both.
There
are two possibilities for this downturn that the doctor is exploring.
Even though we are not seeing much in the way of seizure activity, it is
possible that he is having seizures that are too small to be seen but
that are nonetheless hurting his brain.
The
second possibility is that Bob's immune system is springing back into
action, still confused and thus back at attacking his brain. Because Bob
does not have a confirmed diagnosis and because the research into this
class of diseases is quite young, one of the ongoing questions in
charting a course of treatment has been to determine how much immune
suppression is necessary and for how long. What we are trying at this
point is a high dose of steroids that has to be taken intraveneously. A
home health care nurse came to the house yesterday to administer the
steroids while I was at work and Bob was home with his dad. The nurse
tried to teach Bob how to do it himself. Although at other times, that
would have been a challenge Bob would have enjoyed taking on, with his
current deficits it caused a lot of worry and upset. The nurse came back
today to teach me how, so I will be Bob's nurse this weekend.
We
may be in for a wild ride this weekend, depending upon how Bob reacts
to the steroids. We'll hold onto our hats and get through, hoping and
praying that this is the answer to turning things back around. One
encouraging sign was that this afternoon Bob mentioned that he thought
he was feeling a little better. He noted that his memory was not
appreciably better but he felt somewhat less confused and befuddled.
We'll hope that this improvement continues.
-Megan
God bless you, Megan. You have a heavy burden.
ReplyDeleteGod is your refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. May His help be very apparent, very real, to you and to Bob. Love and prayers, Chris
God of clarity and purpose, into the haze shine your piercing light, that that which clouds Bob's senses would be dissipated by the Son who comes to bring healing and wholeness. Bring that same light to Megan and their family, that out of the darkness You will emerge, holding their hands and leading them to a place where all is right with Bob and all is right in their specific section of the world.
ReplyDeleteAs you have blessed us by their witness, so bless them so that we might witness again to Your miraculous ways. In Christ I pray. Amen