LIKE RUNNING UNDER WATER

I don't know what it takes to get decent medical attention anymore.  Whether its walk in clinics, hospital emergency, family doctor...there seems to be a common thread....no help.  And this isn't new.

For years and years and years I dragged a poor April to doctor after doctor after specialist to get to the bottom of her excruciating bouts of stomach pain.  When she got those attacks she would hallucinate and almost pass out.  If it happened to anyone else we would have been calling an ambulance.  But, because it was April we just comforted her the best we could and started another round of doctors.  And the most common diagnosis that I was verbally told?....wait for it..... "oh thats just kids, they get stomach aches, we never really know why'.  Patronizing bastards.

Then it happened again in Bamfield.  She was delirious with pain.  I drove her to the Port Alberni hospital.  She was 12 yrs old by then.  Thank God we got an interested dr. who ordered an ultra sound, something I had been begging for years.  And yes, they found something.  Her gall bladder was so full of stones they didn't think they would be able to remove it using scopes.  Do you have any idea how painful that is...in a kid no less.  Ignorant bastards.  I hate doctors, even more than lawyers.  Maybe even more than Kanye West.  Well, maybe not the last one.

So now here we are with Monte.  He is having seizures.  There are long spells where he can't speak anything but jibberish, no matter how hard he tries.  He falls suddenly with no warning.  Thats happened a number of times.  Yet his brain remains totally clear with no confusion or loss of lucidity or memory.  He will uncontrollably jerk his head and make unintelligible  noises.  One good thing, he gets what he calls a mental aura first so he knows when its coming and can kind of take measures to protect himself.

  Upon consulting Dr. Google we have sort of ruled out tardive dyskenesia, Huntingtons, and a number of other illnesses involving chorea (uncontrolled movements).  You get to feeling like it will be like this forever and we will never know.

So we have had him to doctors and mental health and a psychiatrist.  I have a feeling if it were any of us out here who don't have mental issues, we would have been hospitalized and the hunt would be on with various tests.  Something is clearly wrong with him and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with his mental stability.  In fact he has been particularly clear headed lately.  He has had accelerated anxiety but,  chicken or egg?

I think its a pretty sad observation that he actually has to go all the way back to Port Alberni to his old GP to get help.  That doctor is pretty amazing, or has been in the past with Monte.  He deals with a lot of disfunction in that little town.  Maybe, but I ain't holding my breath, just maybe he will be able to get to the bottom of it.

  All Monte has heard here with doctors is 'don't worry about it, it will go away'...and when asked to explain what it is, all they can tell us is 'well we don't really know, we haven't seen this before, it will go away'.  No its not.  Its getting worse.  So I advised him not to even mention his mental health to the hospital if he ends up having to go up there before he sees his doctor next week.  Like I said, its like running under water.  You get nowhere slowly.

Well, Graeme motored through my garage, packed Monte's van right full of cardboard, recyclables and garbage.  Today I moved the tables and chairs and buffet and Tank is now safely tucked away.  But its pretty warm out there right now.  It's three degrees out there and dripping.  I wish I had done all this while it was freezing and snowing! 

So if I hear anymore from Monte I will let you know.  He is very very contented and happy to be back in Port.  Its the right place for him right now. And I hope this doesn't sound mean and selfish but I must admit I am enjoying some solitude right now.  The house is so quiet and peaceful.  TTYL