Refine

Today is another hard day. Tanner & Kylie are in music festival and I would love to go listen to them. March brings in multiple concerts, recitals, musicals, Kylie's birthday, etc. And March isn't looking all that good for me right now.

I thought about a lot of things I have read about and my sister Renae looked up a bunch of things online for me regarding the pseudotumor cerebri (ptc)/chiari. Having both really complicates the treatment of the first. Then I wrote a letter asking about options to my ns. He called me back a little after 5:00 last night. Pretty dedicated. The options that I asked about really don't sound like options except possibly a second shunt. He said that might be a good option, but we run the risk of it becoming blocked just like the one that I have now. My thought is that if I can get two shunts dripping since one won't flow, maybe that will drain enough to take the headache down to tolerable levels.

I need to take the Diamox for a week yet to give it a chance to work. About the only thing that is working is that I am having great difficulty eating so of course I am already dropping a little weight. I've wondered if I just am being mental about it so I looked the drug up online and found that it is a product of a drug that I took many years ago for an infection that landed me up in the er throwing up non-stop. So I guess I am glad I am not throwing up but it makes me think this may not get better. I've not been one to worry about my weight much but I would prefer to not lose more because I would like to gain my strength instead of lose it.

Please pray with us as we determine whether a second shunt is the best option. I am beginning to understand more then I ever have how much the Bible talks about suffering and how the Lord uses that in our lives. He is refining us. But I pray that He will take this away soon. I so long for a life of even limited normalcy.