Is there any other way?  That is our question and our hope!  Chloe continues to struggle with horrid headaches.  Life altering headaches.   She has a medicine that helps the pain and allows her to somewhat function.  However, she can only take that medicine three times in one week.  So spreading the medicine out, she can generally get two and half days before she is beyond functioning.  She has had a headache or two that the medicine has taken care of.  However, that is a rarity.  For the second time in one month, she ended back in the ER this week.

Some have asked what happens when we go to ER?

Well, here’s a glimpse.  We sign in and go thru triage.  She is then taken directly to a room.  One time we had to wait, and they actually took us to the family room and brought her a blanket and pillows and it was dark.  Even then, we didn’t wait long.  Then there’s lab work that has to be done before any meds can be given.  We also have to wait to see the doctor on call before anything is given.  Our local neurologist is behind the scenes giving instructions about how to treat.  An IV is always started and she must have one bag of fluid to help rehydrate her.  Chloe is a hard stick and frequently her vein will blow even after they get an IV started.  Often, while waiting an hour for that bag to drip in, they will give her a concoction of drugs to try to give her a little bit of relief.  After an hour, then they can start an hour long infusion.  When that infusion starts going in and the medicine starts working, Chloe begins to feel better! Generally about 30 minutes into the drip, Chloe will begin to be among the living again.  It is definitely quite a change from when I take her in.  Does it totally remove her headache…generally not.  But the medicine makes it much more bearable.  Typically when we go to the ER, her pain is between an 8 and 9 and the goal is to get her pain to a 4 or less on the pain scale.

Grateful but desiring another way

We are grateful that they have found something that alleviates pain.  Twice she ended up being admitted to hospital for pain control.  So we are super grateful they have found something that works for her!  However, we so desire another way to do this.   This whole process takes at minimum 5 to 7 hours of our day or night depending on when we have to go.  The headache specialist in Memphis says this is the only way to accomplish this.  But, surely, there is another way.  I have many questions about this possibility.  Maybe I should say I plan to beg for other options.  Who wants their life to be lived in the ER?  And it feels so wrong to have to go to ER so much.  We are getting to be familiar faces with many of the employees there.

I think we both feel embarrassed.

I know we are working on not assuming what someone thinks about us.  This is a difficult thing for both she and I.  We are often assuming and making judgement calls about what people think about us.  This is not healthy for us to do!  I would imagine most of the time, the nurses and doctors don’t think anything like what we imagine they are thinking.  We imagine they are thinking well here they come again, they have major issues.  Sometimes, we even wonder if they think we are crazy or inventing pain.  However, what is more realistic based upon her vitals and the events that happen, they are sad that Chloe is so sick and when the medicine starts working and Chloe becomes more like herself they feel very relieved and happy they were able to help.  But for some reason, we get stuck in the faulty thinking and assuming pattern.

Hopeful and Anxious

On Monday, she has appointment with our local neurologist.  It is here where we can ask our many questions and plead our case for any other way to get these IV infusions.  We are hopeful that there is another way but we are also anxious the answer will be no.  Praying for wisdom for the doctors and for us.  We also need wisdom about whether to continue to proceed with other avenues for treating Chloe’s headaches.  There are varying opinions on how Chloe should be treated by medical professionals so we are surely hoping our local doctor will be able to put those in perspective for us.  And of course, we are desiring that God would just speak His healing into Chloe.