Wow, were do I start?  We've been on yet another huge roller coaster in the past few days.

I'll spare the details as much as possible but for some I'll say too much.  Sorry.

As Katie said in her previous post, we left the cabin yesterday morning and came straight to Abbott NW Hospital.  Blaine could not walk or stand at all.  From mid chest down, he was numb and his muscles wouldn't work.  They were amazing at the ER.  After an MRI was done, they admitted him up to the neurology floor.

The MRI showed that there was a demyelinating process taking place in Blaine's spinal cord. This means that the myelin sheath that insulates the spinal cord was decreasing (not sure if this is the best word) but you get it.  The neurologist did a very thorough exam on him and attempted to do a spinal tap but didn't succeed.  He gave us a preliminary diagnosis of transverse myelitis based on what info he had.  He told us that if Blaine was younger and got this, he'd have a better than 50% chance of a full recovery.  But Blaine was not young so you can figure that one out.  He is a great doctor and extremely knowlegeable and had a great deal of input.  Some friends came up and we all prayed with and for Blaine.  It was so encouraging!  He ordered 1,000mgs of steroids to be given once a day to him IV.  During that night, he found he could lift his legs much better than he could earlier.  Praise the Lord!!! Some improvement already.

He got a new neurologist this morning and for the week, handpicked by the previous doctor. She came in to see him and examine him today.  She re-diagnosed him with acute demyelinating encephymyelitis.  (forgive the spelling...little sleep)  ADEM involves more of the central nervous system than the transverse myelitis.  Blaine's entire spinal cord (front part, not the back) and the lower part of his brain are involved.  They are inflamed so the steroids are to take the inflammation down.  

When he woke up he also noticed that the numbness and 'weird feeling' had moved down from the level of his mid chest to his belly button.  More good news!!

The new neurologist told us that the ADEM is reversable and she thought he could have a very good chance of recovery.  I asked her, "So you think this is reversable???"  "Yes."

"Completely reversable???" 

"Yes."

I cried in the hallway.

She said that she had just told Blaine, "Don't change your plans."

The new neurologist later came in and gave us the preliminary results of the spinal tap.  She was surprised to find that he had 230 white blood cells in it.  She would have thought it would have been less than 100 if it was ADEM.  She told us that the infectious disease dr. would be coming into see us.

He did and asked Blaine a lot of questions and the long and the short of it is that he believes Blaine had H1N1 (swine flu) when he was sick last week.  He also believes Blake had it and that he gave it to all his wonderful friends who when he was so sick, took pity on him and came to play x-box with him and each one soon fell ill.  He believes that the diagnosis is still ADEM but the cause of the ugly virus is H1N1.

Hoping this all makes sense.

We have done a lot of soul searching these past few days.  We came to one conclusion.  

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

This is yet another spiritual battle we are in and the attack is aimed at Blaine this time.  The first time it was Blake (when we were adopting the boys 3 years ago), the house in April when we had the fire (which of course attacked all of us when we were beginning the adoption this time) and now Blaine (who was going to have his medical form for the home study signed this morning by his dr at a check up to say he was healthy and capable of parenting a child).  Instead we are here.

What does this all mean?  

It means that we wait on God's timing.  We were told that recovery would take 1-6 months. I'm betting on 1!  We'll continue when he's well enough to have that form signed legitimately.  

It has been so scary.  Katie is right.  It is unreal to see your knight in shining armor who can do anything and everything (and does) unable to sit up alone, move his legs, let alone walk or stand up.  Not knowing if he ever would is the scariest thing of all.  

We've been doing a lot of praying.  God is faithful.  He loves us and cares for us.  He walks beside us.