Another infusion day. This one is very different. At the beginning of the Thanksgiving week, Joyanna and I caught a cold or respiratory virus. We went on our Thanksgiving trip though neither one of us was completely over that cold. Joyanna was going to get the opportunity to rest for a few days at what we called “the Thanksgiving house.” And I wasn’t too worried about a cold since I wasn’t contagious anymore. Unfortunately the rest didn’t keep Joyanna from all the “gunk” associated with the cold and the week caught up with me. By the time we came home, we were pretty sure our colds had turned into upper respiratory infections. We were able to get to the clinic on Monday and we both had ear infections. I had a sinus infection and Joyanna was coughing that “gunk” pretty continually. Thankfully, her lungs sounded good. We started on antibiotics that day but it takes time for them to work. We both came to the infusion center today not at our best. We established a couple of months ago that they would still see her and do the infusion even if she wasn’t well. Whew! I’m not really sure how she will respond to an infusion on top of all the rest. Not getting it was out of the question. Please pray for strength and healing for our bodies. Update: The antibiotics have made a difference but it's causing it's own problems for Joyanna. As antibiotics do, it is wreaking havoc with her digestive system. We've just got a few more days and that should clear up.
Ethan has had the cold but it hasn’t seemed to affect him as much. Miraculously, Philip did not catch it and did phenomenally over the Thanksgiving trip. I believe I had to suction him less than 10 times in those 4 days. That’s incredible. He did so well. I’m sure it was the Lord’s grace through your prayers. He travelled well in his car seat in the van but was obviously glad to be back in his bed. (He went to sleep within 30 minutes of when Ben laid him down in it.) His congestion has picked back up a tiny bit since we’ve been back home. We’ve always guessed that Oklahoma pollen is the real congestion issue.
The appointment for the kids to see their pediatrician is next Wednesday, December 6. Please pray that we have wisdom, understanding, and discernment while we discuss with the doctor the process of moving Philip into the Children’s Center.
A change we have anticipated for several weeks has to do with insurance. We are moving Philip off of our current insurance and solely onto our state Medicaid program called SoonerCare. This will be advantageous in facilitating his move into the Children’s Center and will also simplify the process for them moving forward. At the same time, my husband’s employer is also changing insurance companies to United Healthcare in an effort to maintain the high level of health insurance coverage the college has provided its employees for many years. These changes will mean that most of the medical care for Philip and Joyanna will need to go through an approval process again—Philip through SoonerCare and Joyanna through United. We don’t anticipate that most of the medication and treatment approvals will be a problem, but we would appreciate your prayers as we navigate through the proper channels to get those approvals. Joyanna’s infusion doctor knows that United Healthcare has already approved at least one Brineura infusion, but please pray that if Lord wants her to continue the infusion that He will expedite the process and clear the insurance hurdles--He did a miracle once to get her approved for the medication; he can certainly do it again if that’s what He wants.
In all the transition, there is so much peace. I don’t feel stressed at all. I have been able to sleep fairly well. (That’s the true test, right?) Ben has been able to make decisions that are clear in his mind. Our pastor made the statement a couple of weeks ago, that he felt like serving the Lord meant he was just along for the ride and watching the Lord make each way plain. We feel completely like that. We can’t see too far ahead but we know when we need to know He will show us. That doesn’t mean we don’t try to see too far ahead at times or borrow trouble when it isn’t there but we are learning every day how to trust God more. I told a friend today, “It will be worth it all” and I truly believe that. If everything fell apart in this world, there’s ALWAYS the hope of heaven and that’s for all eternity…in the presence of the Lord!
IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL!