After a glorious week of being well, Emily got sick again last weekend and is still down. Today I take her in for more blood tests (Lyme's disease, West Nile, etc). My nurse practitioner thinks we might be dealing with lingering effects from our months in Kenya so will test her for giardia and a few other beasties as well.
We have ruled out quite a number of things, including celiac disease and leukemia.
Our church family has been absolutely wonderful: flowers, phone calls, prayers, etc. Sometime soon we want to get a few church people together and have Emily anointed with oil and prayed for, recognizing that God is sovereign with all this.
The hardest thing for Emily is that she is a high school senior and so eager to be off to seek her fortune, but how in the world can she make plans for a job, college, or travel if she never knows when she'll be sick for a month? It's very discouraging for her.
A number of people have been giving ideas for diagnoses or treatment, which is wonderful. My own suspicions lean toward something environmental. We've lived in this house for seven years, and all Emily's weird illnesses have occurred here, with the exception of one bout in Kenya, which hardly counts, as Kenya with its tropical germs is bound to down anyone with a weak immune system.
Anyway--is it old lead paint, asbestos, molds, something in the water perhaps? Or is it all the sprays on the fields all around us? I don't know, and I don't know how to find out. I just have this hunch.
But I could be wrong, as I have been so many times before.
When I mentioned the environmental possibility to Karen H. at church last Sunday, she was all worried that we're going to move away. The greater likelihood would be that Emily would go somewhere else, not the whole family.
Your prayers are appreciated, for grace for all of us, wisdom and direction, healing for Emily. And you can pray that she would find productive things to do while she's sick and/or contribute ideas. She can tear and bundle seed-sack tags for Paul, which is nice, but not real high on the mentally-stimulating, personally-fulfilling scale.
Quote of the Day:
"Emily makes stuff more funner!"
--cousin Allison, at age 7. That's why we want her to get well--life is a lot more funner.
The past year I've been continually sick, achy, had skin problems, etc. I went to the doctor for a physical and extensive blood tests for hormone levels and other things - nada. Finally I was referred to an ophalmologist for recurring eye infections and he incidentally diagnosed me with rosacea.(Aha! This explains the mysterious skin problems, which my PCP thought could only be hormonal. One mystery solved.)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could find a truly "holistic" medical professional. Thank goodness for the internet - now I do all the researching and go to doctor visits armed with printouts and questions. Speaking of gut feelings, I'm learning to listen to mine because they make me more persistent about being seen again and again until I finally get referrals, which eventually seem to lead to solutions - please don't ignore your intuitions.
To watch your child suffer week after week would be much harder than going through it yourself. At this point you all really need some answers and I pray you'll get them. Does Emily like to write? Perhaps you could get her to start a blog and do daily posts?
Sorry Emily's still sick. Allison is right...stuff is funner when Emily's around, especially if it takes any imagination or theatrics! Get well, soon Ems. Bethany is bored at school without you! Pauline
ReplyDeletehonestly, it's just weird... and tell her we need her for the plays, badly. i am not a director in any way.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your daughter. Praying you all can find out whats wrong.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for Emily. My oldest girl suffered CFS all through her Highschool years. It was very hard ~ for all of us. She'd be doing well then for no apparent reason she would be sleeping 24/7 again & falling behind on her work.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you all.
Hmmm. Possible effects of time in Kenya. . . Are they checking for malaria?
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry Emily's sick again. Have you ever read the book "A More Excellent Way" by Henry Wright? We have several friends and acquaintances who have been very sick (one for ten years) who are now free of their illnesses due to learning about the spiritual roots behind disease. This information has been wonderfully helpful to our family. You can check it out at the website for Pleasant Valley Church in Thomaston, Georgia - I think it's called "be in health.com". The book is also available at the Christian bookstore at Gateway mall and on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI will pray for Emily, and for you and the rest of your family.
Thanks for your input, everyone. Justme, Emily's blog is www.xanga.com/supergirlemzel
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