Alan's update from Philadelphia

Alan returned to Philadelphia on Tuesday, this time to be admitted to the  hospital at the headache clinic for a week.  Two weeks ago he visited a doctor at the clinic and he thinks he has Transient migraine headaches.. Basically a migraine all the time, which shows itself in various forms, such as migraine, fatigue, or regular headaches. Only 2.5% percent of migraine sufferers have this type....it's not a fun group to be in :). Alan is hopeful about this visit. 

Since he left I've been pretty sick, with a virus, that has left me achy, fatigued, and feeling pretty rotten. By Gods grace I rarely get sick like this,and it feels like it could not have come at a worse time, but I'm learning that when The Lord says he came to bring us life...abundant life....that doesn't mean free of sickness and pain, but one full of grace, joy, living with him in pain, heartache and experiencing his love and goodness, no matter what our circumstances are. Over this week I have experienced tremendous amounts of grace and love as people have been praying for Alan and me, and serving us by bringing us food, snacks, and taking our kids so I can rest.

Here is the latest update from Alan:  I'm in the Jefferson Headache Clinic in Philadelphia.  The care has been pretty good, and the nurses are really nice and understanding.  But the time has definitely not been restful, and it's hard to even do email or read most of the time.  I have to get a shot in my stomach every 3 hours along with a vitals check, a full EKG every night, and 2 vials of blood drawn every morning.  I'm on 24hr heart rate monitoring (many of the meds can cause heart problems), so I have 5 wires connected to pads on my torso to a heart rate monitor on my bed so it's really hard to sleep or even go to the bathroom.  I have an IV with 5-6 bags most of the time.  All of this is very aggressive drug treatment to break the migraine cycle and start me on preventative drugs that I will continue orally when I leave. So, we really need your prayers that all this is worth it and will be effective with the frequency and severity of my migraines. 

Alan left the hospital today , looking to go home tomorrow, but he is currently having a migraine. Please pray for relief for him and wisdom as whether or not to come home or go back to the hospital. He feels very alone and discouraged.