Three Steps Forward and Two Steps Back

 Well, Sara is making progress, but has also had several setbacks. April 1 she had a seizure and had to be taken by ambulance to the ER. Initially, Dr. Anderson thought it was due to electrolyte imbalance brought on by a nasty GI bug she'd had, but after having more seizures, he re-evaluated and decided it was one of the medications she was on the help with pain. We slowly weaned her off it and added Diazepam to avoid any additional seizures while we were adjusting medications. So, the extremely good news is that since stopping the Venlafaxine there have been no new seizures and the twitching she was experiencing when her pain got high has also disappeared! We weren't sure what was causing it, but it seems she was just super sensitive to this medication. Unfortunately, without the medication her pain is worse. The good news on that front is that last time we had to change medication, the pain sent her to the hospital for almost a week, so we're hopeful that the overall pain levels may be ever so slowly decreasing. Any positive in this storm...
  To manage pain, she has started acupuncture and is seeing Dr. Hunter with UCH's Integrated Medicine group. So far, it's too early to say if it's helping with the pain, but she has noticed the magnets placed on her ear really helps with sleeping which in turn helps manage the pain. Dr. Hunter will be working with her on additional breathing, imagery, and biofeedback techniques.
 Another setback has been several falls she's sustained during the seizures, through tripping or when her legs give out without warning. She had a CT April 2 because of these falls and thankfully it was clear. She is experiencing some dizziness, nausea and fuzzy headedness from the concussion(s), but Dr. Anderson thinks it is from the inner ear bones getting shaken up with the impacts, much like a snow globe. She just has to be extra careful until they settle down on their own. We have threatened to get her a motorcycle helmet if she keeps hitting her head...
 Otherwise, she is her usual cheerful self and looks forward to hearing from her friends. Your notes of encouragement and prayers are greatly appreciated and mean the world to her. So, from a grateful mom, thank you!