Pain free in a couple of weeks???!!!!

Dear Amazing Friends & Family,

We write this over joyed with the news we got at the Mayo Clinic last week! We got to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our family and share the great news with them this weekend and now we have to share it with you... We received a diagnosis for Steve last Wednesday at our last appointment at the Mayo Clinic! Our main doctor says he is 99% sure that this is Steve's diagnosis but we have to wait for him to consult a neurologist that was out of town for Thanksgiving. If the neurologist agrees with the diagnosis presented by Dr Krotzer then Steve will simply get a call with a prescription for a medication that could cause all of his pain to stop in a matter of weeks!

Wednesday we went into our appointment not expecting much more than a new itinerary for January, which other doctors had already added appointments and procedures to. Dr Krotzer started with telling us he is not planning on seeing us in January as he is very sure he knows what is causing Steve's debilitating pain and symptoms. He believes that the lesions discovered on Steve's brain last fall may have been a result from malaria and/or other unknown illnesses when Steve had in Ghana, Africa in 2006. These lesions caused a severe abnormal migraine which caused stroke like symptoms last fall as his nervous system "short- circuited". This caused a "snowball" effect where the abnormal migraine fed off of the "short-circuiting" nervous system and rare symptoms (such as severe pain and weakness) accumulated. We are trying to describe this as it was explained to us because the formal diagnosis was "a rare, severe migraine phenomenon." Dr Krotzer then explained Steve would take a preventative-type medication that would stop the "snowball" effect of symptoms and increasing pain and like a computer Steve's nervous system would "reboot" and he would be pain free in a matter of weeks! No physical therapy, no chiropractic work... PAIN FREE!

We then got to tell our doctor that YOU were praying for him and God knew the exact moment to reveal what the cause of Steve's pain is and He WILL delivered the exact right moment for Steve to be pain free, amen! We need prayer as we wait for these doctors to get back to us and for Steve to learn if he is to start this medication this week or if they want us to return to the Mayo Clinic in January. Please pray for our continued endurance and trust and that God would meet all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus! We feel as though we crossed a finish line but the reality is the race continues. Please run alongside of us in this last, hopefully short, part of the race!

Thanking Him,
Casey & Steve