Into the Meds

My friend called me today to get an update on Coleman - he reminded me that I wasn't posting enough so he had to track me down. That prompted me to jump back in.

I'm sitting next to Coleman in his bed tonight. He's now 10 days into the antibiotic and there is some tough going - welcomed, but tough going. Most all the research I have done talks about latent Lyme and how it can take 1-4 weeks for the meds to begin to show some positive effects and in the mean time, expect the symptoms to get worse. In some ways, it's like jumping back a month or so ago when small tasks were harder for Coleman. He isn't feeling strong and although he stays occupied, he's mostly in bed working through it.

His hearing sensitivity is probably the toughest symptom for him and truly for all of us. It takes some ingenuity to wash dishes, clothes, cook or run water. We have a daily drill where Spen and I blitz through dishes, laundry, etc. while Coleman takes a break outside. The most challenging thing is that we happen to live near a municipal airport and this year in particular we have been noticing that the planes are flying so much lower and suddenly so much louder. Today, I could have sworn that there was an air show going on overhead - it was so hard on Coleman and in turn hard on us to watch.

Spen started a cartooning class this week at the Visual Arts Center and he's all about that. His first character is a man with a suitcase head. He said he eats clothes and can travel anytime he wants...hopefully some art to follow.

I admit to being at one of those low points at the end of last week. The feeling of being closed in on - like good things weren't happening fast enough, like I wasn't feeling well enough myself. I have hit enough of these times now to recognize that its right after these lows that I seem to find some new clarity and confidence and just plain faith to keep the course.

I found some of that new confidence when I read this yesterday:

Now that we know what we have - Jesus this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. He's not out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all. So let's walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

So I'm back to direct communication with the docs and with our health insurance carrier, they have proven to be a good ear and hopefully a good ally for plotting our next steps. These next two weeks are some of the most important. Thanks for remembering us as you run your errands, sit at your desk, take the kids to baseball and stand in lines...long long lines.