I know some people who have had minor storms if any in their lifetime. Others, like my family, seem to have our share plus theirs, I suppose it's all in how you look at it. It obviously doesn't make sense that some of us go through more, um, obstacles than others, but in reality what does make sense? It's my opinion that this life is just harder on some people than others. I will choose to keep looking up in this current storm and keep praying. Who knows, maybe this will be our last storm (I had to stop typing and cross my fingers on that one).
On Wednesday October 16th at church, I noticed Jett was not feeling well at dinner. He just didn't eat and was very fussy, not his normal cheerful smiling self. I didn't notice a fever when I felt him so I went on to my class and sent him to he nursery. At about 7:30 I went to pick him up and noticed he was warm with fever and that's where it went really bad really fast. As we were heading down the hall to check his temperature he began having a seizure. As I watched him turn blue I could barely hear people around me, all I knew was that there was a pediatric nurse with me and I felt that he was going to be okay with her there. I knew as a nurse myself that we were helpless to the seizure but I also knew if he did not breathe soon something would have to be done, I was praying for God to stop the seizure and show me what was wrong with my baby. The nurse, Jill, was with him was at his head and noticed how hot he was, you could fry and egg on my baby and his temp went up fast, really fast. Jill happens to work in the ER at Lebonheur Childrens Hospital. She never stopped or hesitated she just led us to the car where she called ahead and we headed strait to and through the ER. She did not have to go with us, but she did and I don't think she ever entertained another option.
Jett was out of it most of the drive to the hospital but he did finally start responding to his name about halfway there. I prayed non stop on that drive to the hospital, Lord guide the doctors, Lord show me what to do, Lord help me remain calm for Jett. I was scared but strangely calm at the same time. The Lord was faithful and he may not have calmed the storm but he calmed his child.
The doctor was wonderful, he ran all the tests you would expect for a child with high fever and no other symptoms, (besides just looking and acting "sick" the last few weeks). When nothing to abnormal showed on the Labs and Jett was not looking better, the decision was about to be made to do a spinal tap to test for meningitis. While we were waiting again, I was strangely calm. One of our friends, Lacey, says "oh look there's a little dirt behind Jett's ear.....no that's not dirt, it must be a mole." No one really replied or thought much of it. A few minutes passed and again Lacey said "Ronnie, have you noticed Jett has a mole behind his ear?" again, I didn't get up, so another friend went and investigated. "um, that's not a mole, is that a TICK?!" that got a response, yep its a tick. Imbedded behind his ear, so tiny I never saw it and may never have seen it. You see how God was working here? Pushing Lacey to keep seeing that spot behind Jett's ear, pressing her to keep bringing it up even though she had no idea it was a tick. Finding that tick changed everything. The doctor removed the tick and the whole game was changed. We were admitted and started on treatment for tick borne illness, we are still not sure which one it is.
If that tick had not been found, he would have had a spinal tap that showed nothing. We probably would have been sent home on no meds and been back again in a few days, repeat, repeat, repeat. As they were trying desperately to get blood from Jett and he was screaming after the 3rd stick I was praying again, "Lord why do you keep testing me? I will not loose my faith, please stop testing me." I lay my head on Jett's chest and the picture that came to my mind was awesome. Angels covering us with their wings. I want to share a quote from a Christian fiction book that will explain what I saw in my mind : "She lay nearby, facedown in the dirt, weeping, physically exhausted and emotionally spent. Guilo (an angel) sat beside her, his wings spread over her, stroking her head and speaking soothing words to her soul. Tal (another angel) approached quietly, knelt beside them, and spread his wings high and wide, joining Guilo's wings to form a canopy to keep out the world for a while. "~Piercing the Darkness by Frank E. Peretti. (wonderful book!)
They eventually got the blood, but not without a struggle from his little body not wanting to cooperate.
As we lay in his hospital room at 3am I felt God speak loudly to my heart, letting me know that He was not testing me. That he did not place illness in the world, when sin entered so did illness. He did not "make" Jett ill and as similar as all this was to Jackson fighting to be diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, it is not the same. My faith is 10 fold now and I now SEE that God is good all the time He doesn't give us illness to hurt us. That's just part of being human, getting sick. He also showed me flashes of the whole night: Jill (our off duty personal super nurse) being there when the seizure hit, Cassie to take my JC home, Josh making it to the church in record time to drive us, Libby able to intercede and keep everyone updated and start a prayer chain allowing us to focus on Jett. Lacey finding the tick, Cissy showing up with Jett's favorite blankie. Matt being there to support Josh, the doctor being very knowledgable about tick's. He showed me that yet again , the storm raged on but he sent many, many life boats. He put everyone where they were supposed to be and for that Jett was sent home the next day with the medication that he needed. We were making progress and we were covered under a HUGE blanket of prayer.
We are still waiting for the Lab cultures to be sure of what kind of tick illness this is, and if it's not a tick illness, he still didn't have to go through a spinal tap. He still feels better and looks like he is on the road to recovery. This will be a long road as most tick illness likes to take it's time leaving the body. He has lots of muscle pain and I'm pretty sure his head hurts and most of he gets very tired very quickly but he is playing! Most of all, I see improvement, it's slow but it's there. For all who have prayed for our little man, it's working. Keep it up!
The prayers of Gods people are heard and he answeres. I think the entire town was praying for Jett and I am forever grateful for that because I am sure that's how we were treated so promptly. I don't recall ever having felt other peoples prayer for us that deep before. I felt the prayers and I felt The Lord's presence.
I have had many prayers that I felt were not heard, On may 21st, 1996 I prayed for God to spare my sister, Amy's life and He had other plans. I prayed for God to spare my oldest son, Jacksons life on May 6th 2010 and that prayer was not answered, but on October 16th 2013 my prayer was answered in every way. So while our prayers don't always work out the way we need them or want them too, sometimes they do work out better. Never give up hope, and never tell me it was coincidence that Lacey saw that tiny embedded tick behind my babies ear, I was there. There are no coincidence's.
Romans 8:31 :What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
At least one parent got some rest ;-)
woke up ready to break out after 2 doses of antibiotic and countless prayers !
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