One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges. For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: · Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues · Scoliosis · Bowel and bladder incontinence · General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...
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Feeling Worn and Weary?
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Have you ever felt this way?
I know I need to lift my eyes up
But I'm too weak
Life just won't let up
And I know that You can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left
My prayers are wearing thin
And I'm worn
Even before the day begins
I'm worn
I've lost my will to fight
I bet there are a lot of special needs parents or parents with very young children who can relate to these words. I know I can. Whenever I hear the song, Worn which contains the above lyrics, I am transported back in time when Faith was a little baby.
I was working full time during the day and trying to look after her at night. She did not sleep well, which meant neither Rob nor I sleep well either. To make things even harder, Rob worked overnights on the weekends.
I was in a major state of sleep deprivation. I started drinking caffeine and eating sugar every day at work to help me stay awake. It didn't help that my thyroid was out of whack. Eventually I was diagnosed with clinical depression and put on an antidepressant. It seemed that every day for years I was exhausted, I was completely worn.
Faith's post-NICU days were filled with sleepless nights that lasted throughout her early school years
I tried my hardest to pray during these difficult times but all I could think to pray for was sleep. Thankfully, our family had a lot of prayer support from friends and family. Through the years, Faith continued having trouble sleeping but it has gotten better. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Currently, I am off my antidepressants and no longer even drink caffeine. God is good!
So, for all of you special needs moms or moms of young children who are struggling just to get through the day, I would like to offer you encouragement and hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for you as well. Just don't be afraid or ashamed to ask others to pray for you and keep trusting that He will bring you through this difficult time.
Some Scriptures for the worn and weary:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar
on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk
and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
By the way, this song was written by the lead singer of Tenth Avenue North, Mike Donehey. He and his wife had two young girls and one night as they lay down in bed, his wife reached over and told him how worn out she was feeling. He knew he needed to write a song called "Worn."
One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges. For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: · Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues · Scoliosis · Bowel and bladder incontinence · General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...
Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm. The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
September is NICU Awareness Month . For those who don't know, NICU is an acronym for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. According to World Metrics 50,000 premature babies in the United States receive care each year in the NICU. The average NICU stay for a preemie is 25 days. Honestly, that number surprises me, as I thought it would be much higher than that. Along with preemies, full-term babies born with certain health issues, such as respiratory distress, jaundice, and other kinds of infections receive care in the NICU. Tiny Faith in her isolette at Mayo But for Faith, whose untimely birth consisted of an emergency C-section 11 weeks early, it took 73 days before she was discharged. Those 73 days were a major emotional rollercoaster! And for many reasons, one of which was being nearly 600 miles from home as Faith was born at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. (You can read what led up to that on my post, October 4, 2003: A Day I'll Ne...
Every year, the one thing Faith wants to do for the 4th of July is go to the parade in Mandan. It surprises me how much she loves parades, considering the noise and crowds of people. About 20,000 people attend the annual 4th of July parade, and it's filled with very loud firetrucks, big machinery, trucks, and other kinds of loud noises. This year, there was also the concern that it would be more crowded than usual. This was due to the fact that part of the normal parade route was under construction. Besides all that, the Parade starts at 10:00, which means Faith needs to wake up pretty early so that we can arrive in time. Neither of us had slept well the night before, so I was already concerned that she didn't get enough sleep to get through the long, busy day. I let her sleep as late as possible and prayed for us both to have enough energy to make it through the day. It helped that we could do her morning feeding enroute and also during the parade. She normally doesn'...
That is a great song. Thank you for sharing this:)
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement Cari. I am especially weary this week, so it was quite timely! Bless you!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome, ladies. Blessings to you and your families - I'll be praying for each of you this week.
ReplyDelete