Well, we had our first REAL camping trip weekend before last. From Friday night through Monday afternoon we braved Amacalola Falls' nocturnal high winds and sub-freezing temps (during the day it was perfect hiking weather.....jeans and a tank!). The campsite was gorgeous---essentially perched on a leveled-out portion of a mountaintop. The steep drive too and fro made us grateful for ice-free roads, and relieved that we'd invested in a secondary brake system on the camper itself!! We even brought Hope along, as she had recently resumed her status as "Only-Dog" in our household (a sad fact for us because we loved her silly old sister, Joy---but as far as Hope's concerned, life is finally as it should be again!). Both Hope and Will surprised us with their stamina and vigor on the difficult mountain trails (and long, steep, waterfall-side staircases), and both blessed us with quiet, solid, sleep all but the first night. Overall the trip was a smashing success, in more ways than one.........on Sunday evening Will suddenly requested to put his pee-pee in our in-camper potty!!! We got him situated, sat him on the toilet, and encouraged him for the next EIGHT TO TEN WHOLE MINUTES while he waited for the pee-pee to show itself! ("Come out, pee-pee, come out!!! Mommy, squeeze pee-pee out?!") He was entirely dedicated to the process, but had a disappointingly empty bladder. That was the only time he was willing to try on the trip, but apparently he's shown brand new interest and enthusiasm in the classroom when they practice potty time at every pull-up change!!! YES!! A few more trips and surely diapers will be a thing of the past.........right? Well, at any rate it's the first positive step we've ever really seen, and we'll take it!!! We got some nice pictures---especially of mountaintop sunsets. But I'll have to download them another time.
As far as life on the home front goes..........since returning from that amazing adventure I've spent frustratingly little time out of bed and functional. Consciousness at its most basic level is really the only difference I currently experience between using my narcolepsy (wakefulness-inducing) medicine and skipping it. (And I'm already at the highest dose allowed.) I could go into great, descriptive, detail about what this situation does to a person from the inside out, but it's just depressing. So suffice it to say that this is no life.....literally. My desperation.....despair.....has definitely reached new heights as my patience for a miracle cure, or miraculous healing, begins to grow weary. So despite the potentially high financial cost I've contacted the Jacksonville Mayo clinic for a full neurological evaluation, and they called me back to set an appointment this afternoon (while I was writing about the trip, actually). The doctor I'm seeing specializes in dysautonomia and related issues, and I can only hope that he'll be able to shed some light and possibly recommend some steps to bring symptom relief. ANY relief will be monumental. I haven't told anyone yet, but the appointment is set for NEXT Wed. So if you read this before I have a chance to call Danny and Mom, etc, you'll have the privilege of being the first to know! (I figured it was safe to post now since anyone who still looks in on the blog page will probably not do so until tonight!) Love to all, SANDY
