In a Moment of Time
In a moment of time, one's
whole life and circumstances can change. Even when your children are
adults, as ours are, what happens in their lives affects us. Last week,
my husband and I went out of town with a close family friend so she could
attend a training and not have to drive alone. Last Monday night, our
older son called and said his brother was acting rather strangely. As a
35 yo with a history of alcohol dependence in the past, my first thought went
to, "oh, oh...he started drinking again." Tuesday he was no
better and the behavior was becoming more bizarre, so we instructed N (older
son) to take P (35 yr old) to the ER. They did a CT scan and preliminary
findings indicated acute demyelinating encephalitis...This is an illness that
can follow a viral infection, like the flu...He had had a cold a couple of
weeks before. He also may have inherited the autoimmune problems that are
on my side of the family. The autoimmune issue may have also played a
part. We returned from Kansas City the next afternoon (9 hour
trip). A spinal tap was performed and an MRI confirmed the ADE. It
is a viral infection and it was determined that there is no medicine to kill
this virus. The treatment is IV prednisone for 3-5 days to reduce the
inflammation so the brain can do its own healing work. 
Fortunately there was NO
swelling ever in the brain. There is a 70% survival rate with ADE and of
the 70%, 2/3 will recover their mental capabilities completely. Each day
was filled at first, with prayers for survival. After that was determined, our prayers are now for complete recovery.
P is an attorney with a
mind like a steel trap....he is in the process of starting a unique law
practice that will mostly be done on line. Like all of us, he has not
always made the best decisions in the past and was dealing with those
consequences. In the hospital, his mind was obviously affected by the
disease. He had to be retrained in basic skills, but, thanks to God,
those have returned. There is still some fine tuning yet, however.
We are seeing symptoms of
impulsivity, agitation, restlessness, frustration, and an inability to make
some wise choices. At this point in time, short, short term memory is a
problem. He cannot be left unsupervised at all. He cannot keep
track of the simplest things...he is frequently losing his glasses, his
contacts, his wallet, his phone...he is not sure where he left his clothes.
We are constantly reorienting him. It is very difficult for him on so
many levels and us as well. One of the positives is that he figured out
how to use most of the functions on his phone and that requires higher level
thinking....so the brain connections are there...just not always functioning
correctly.
My husband is
in his final week of his employment. He is retiring after 47 years with
the same company...so this week he has had to be IN the office,
finalizing the training of his replacement....(it is taking 2 people
right now to replace him!). I have had to be out of my office for
almost two weeks now because of P's care needs. If I don't work, I
don't get paid since, as a therapist, that is the process in our
organization. I don't share this to whine in any way but to give
indication of the depth of the stress we are all experiencing. We ARE
trusting God to provide in every way for us.
Our
church family and friends are upholding us in prayer and offering
concrete help, and that is what we believe is making it possible for us
to deal in a positive way with all of this.
P
is very, very independent and it is very difficult for him to be
supervised, questioned, and redirected. It is not easy for us either.
He was a very stubborn 2 year old, a very stubborn and defiant teenager,
and so some of the symptoms we are seeing are reminiscent of those
earlier years.
If
any of you pray, we would appreciate prayers for complete healing for
him. Please also pray for strength, courage, and wisdom for my husband,
N and his wife and our two grandchildren, and for me. I have always
suggested to clients how beneficial journaling is. Now I know first
hand. And thank you, to whomever developed blogging!
The road ahead is uncertain, but our Guide is beside us and has provided wonderful people to walk with us on the way.
There really has been no questioning of God as to why this has occurred. We are trusting in Him.
