PRAYER REQUESTS, PLEASE!

We've got a few things going on with the children that we'd like you all to pray for - this picture is Milena in the hospital on the second weekend that we arrived in MJ.

Tomorrow after school, Milena and I are going back into the hospital overnight and she's scared silly. She's going to be put under anesthetic for a CT scan of her brain, and we'll be going home as soon as she wakes up in recovery. The exact time, in case you like to pray that way, is Friday the 16th at 11:00 a.m.

The last time we tried to CT scan Milena, they gave her three oral sedatives and she still wouldn't lie still on the platform and go back into the CT scanning machine. It's the fear of "falling" backwards or something. She won't even tip her head back at the hairdressers to get it washed! Thus, the need to be knocked out while they scan her.

The CT scan is to look for any brain damage that she might have sustained either genetically, or at birth. The psychiatrist who's examined her orally feels that she's NOT bipolar, as we were told in Richmond Hill, but that her symptoms of echolalia (repeating everything obsessively) and a few other things could be the result of one of the above. The report, however it turns out, will help us in future programming for Milena as to her learning capabilities.

Also, her vision was checked by the specialist again last Thursday, and she's now 20/40 in her good eye, and -950 in her right eye, which means that we're going to start CNIB intervention at school. The specialist took photos of her eyeballs so I could see the retinal damage, and it pretty well covers the entire retina, and most of the "bumps" which could turn into rips are around her optic nerve. Also, there's a space around the optic nerve which didn't close up when she was in utero, further complicating her vision. The only "help" she could have at this stage is to wear contact lenses, which isn't going to happen as she won't let you near her even to put one eye drop into her eyes.

Basically, she's going blind in her right eye. That's the prognosis, but we're thankful that we can get CNIB into school now. She also complains about the fact that she can't see - which wasn't happening a year ago when we moved out here. (she calls it her "buggy eye".)

A prayer request for Nathan: he and I are going to Regina April 2nd to see a neurologist. He had a seizure over the New Year's weekend when he was so sick he had to be hospitalized. A subsequent EEG showed that he has "small seizure" activity - and so we need further testing or consultation to see if he needs to be medicated for petit mal seizures. We've never observed anything like what he had at New Year's, but the doctor told me that petit mal seizures can be as mild as him just staring off into space for a few seconds, and that he's likely had this all his life! The reason to possibly medicate him, is so that it doesn't develop into grand mal seizures. We'll have to see what the neurologist thinks. This has come as a complete surprise to us, and obviously if he's been having seizures they must be mild as no school has ever mentioned him having them, or having "strange moments", as the doc said to me. However, all the schools with their Master's in Special Ed teachers also missed the fact that he's autistic, so there you go!

We'll have Milena's report back next Monday or Tuesday so I'm hoping that the doctor will call me asap to let us know what they found (if anything). Please pray that Milena will stay calm tomorrow night, and that they can get an IV in her without it being a major crisis for her. I'll probably post on the blog again re the results, and/or call Mom and Dad and they can let you all know how she's doing.

Thank you, everyone - we really covet your prayers right now for these two things. Milena is compensating very well re her vision, but she's frustrated about getting tired, headaches, and even though she can't express it properly, she knows she can't see things properly anymore. We now sit in the second front pew at church - and the specialist told me she's likely only seeing people as blurs, with colors for clothing.

We love you all, and are praying for you too!