Prayers for travel and doctor visit

by MikeInFla Thu Jun 19, 2014 5:09 am

Last summer my wife started having some neurological problems. We didn't know what to think of it (tired all the time, sometimes unable to walk good, much like someone who is 85, slurred speech, forgetfulness, unable to do basic math, etc). She thought maybe it was early menopause so she put off going to the doctor until Oct 2013 when she went to see her "woman" doctor. He said it was definitely not menopause that it was something more and referred her to a neurologist. The initial diagnosis was MS (Multiple Sclerosis) but he was unsure. They ran sleep studies, EEGs, MRI's, etc thru Jan. She also went to several other specialist who also could not figure out what it was. Her blood levels are high in Epstein-Barr Virus which causes extreme fatigue. We finally got a referral to The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL (5 hours away). It is one of the best hospitals in the south, if not the country. They ran a battery of tests but still no conclusion as to what was wrong. Our second visit there they ran another EEG still with no answers. Our 3rd visit resulted in two more MRIs and more blood work with still no answers.

We are leaving home this afternoon when I get off work to go back again tomorrow. This time they are doing a spinal tap. Hopefully this will tell us more but so far we've had no answers and don't expect any.

We have pretty good insurance but even with that the out of pocket expenses are adding up (and not a whole lot but the bills are still there).

So please pray that we travel safely and that the spinal tap goes as well as possible, she is terrified of the procedure. She had one when she was 10 years old for Encephilitis and it was traumatic for her. We did discover the Epstein-Barr virus can come from 2 things -- Encephilitis and Mono (she had both, the first as a kid and mono in high school). Both of these can also lead to MS so that is why we had that initial diagnosis. She also suffers from depression but has taken about 9 different anti depressants that didn't work, which lead to the conclusion that she isn't depressed and that it is something more with the depression only a symptom of what really lies underneath. We normally like to keep these things private so I almost hesitated posting here but thought prayers were desperately needed.

Again, please pray for safe travel and a good procedure and possibly an answer to what is wrong.

Thanks,

Mike