Thursday, April 8, 2010

Well Then...

The appointment was rather uneventful. No tests were done. We were in and out in less than 2 hrs.
A severe form of OCD is what they said. They recommended intensive cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) along with medication. Which would require him going 5 days a week for 3-5 hours a day. At this point...driving 5 days a week 5 hrs roundtrip everyday and being away from the rest of the kids 10 hrs a day and pulling him out of school doesn't seem like the wisest choice. We opted for one weekly visit and then re-evaluate at the start of summer and if we feel he would benefit from the intensive program then, the kids and I will probably spend 5 days a week living in st. louis for the summer. In the meantime though, we did put him on medicine last week. This was a huge decision for us and those of you who know us...know this was the HARDEST decision we have ever made. He had gotten to a place last week where he was clearly suffering. He was unable to walk, talk or eat. The medicine has helped tremendously with certain symptoms. I believe God can work miracles. I believe just having the knowledge of what is going on is half the battle. I believe through prayer and patience much can be accomplished. Adam, Jace and I laughed the whole way home. We left feeling refreshed. We left not putting our hope in the "specialists" but in our Lord. So, we count this day JOY.

10 comments:

Cassie said...

been thinking about you steffany!
sounds like things are moving in the right direction.
much love from iowa....

Ginny said...

I am praying for you all.

Danielle said...

Praying for your family...

Jen said...

continued prayers on this journey.

Molly said...

Medication for my OCD changed my life, and probably saved it. I'm on zoloft. It takes a while to kick in, but it gave me my life back!

Paula said...

I know this isn't quite the same, but I'm going to share something my mom said a long time ago. We made the decision to put our severely ADHD son on medications and I just felt so unhappy about it. My mom said "If he was diabetic, would you feel uncomfortable about giving him insulin?" The answer, of course, is "no". Mental illnesses are real illnesses just like anything else, only they are due to messed up brain chemistry instead of messed up body functions somewhere else. I have taken antidepressants for fifteen years and it's the same thing. I don't know why a stigma persists about medication for mental disorders, but we all need to try to get past it. If medications help your son, that is wonderful! How wonderful that God gave us the ability to figure out ways to help ourselves with our own human intelligence and creativity. I will be praying for you and your son that you will make it through this hard time. You are a good mom doing all she can to help her boy.

Jenny said...

It's been two years since we have been where you are not, and we are still doing therapy once a month and still on meds; but life is normal! I hated the idea of meds too, but it's really necessary I believe now!
Blessings,
Jenny

Anonymous said...

Just know that Lex & I are truly lifting y'all up in prayer. Several times a day Jace comes to my mind & I stop & pray. He's drawing me closer to God. Thanks Jace!

Beautiful Mess said...

Bless you all! Praying!

Unknown said...

Hey Girlie,
I'd look for a Neurodevelopmentalist in your area. They will be able to evaluate Jace and create an in-home therapy program for him. Praying!