Pounding My Head Against a Wall
I am pounding my head against the wall, and I think Patrick is feeling the same way.
People don't understand (unless you've been there) just how frustrating it is to argue with a person who has aphasia. Not only do you have to make your own point, but you have to articulate the point of the person with aphasia so they understand YOU understand their point of view.
God forbid you not say it exactly as they want you to, otherwise you are missing the point! NO, I AM NOT MISSING THE POINT. I UNDERSTAND! LET ME SAY IT THIS WAY...
The argument we are having is about Patrick driving again.
In September, his neurologist told him if he was still seizure free by November, he would recommend Patrick for a driving evaluation. He made it halfway thru November then had a seizure. They upped his meds again, but we had to lower the dosage back down as he was having side affects. Since that seizure in November, he had two more small seizures on the origanal dosage.
Yesterday, we went to see the neurologist again. we decided a new medication was in order, even though his last seizure was in January. This is not a quick process, weening him off his old meds and onto a new one. It will take almost three months before he is totally off the old and totally on the new one. Then it will take a few months soley on the new med to see if it works for him.
His point is, it has once again been two months since his last seizure, so he should be able to get the driving eval now. He is seizure-free in his mind. I keep trying to explain that even though it has been several months since the last seizure, the meds are not working for him well enough or he would not have had the seizures in December and January.
Round and round we go. I tell him it's not up to me anyway. He tells me over and over: how long he has went without driving; how long it's been since his last seizure; how he was only suppose to have to wait 2 months of being seizure-free.
I go round and round telling him he is still having occasional seizures on the current med, he is not safe to drive. I tell him it is out of my hands, it's up to the doctor. I tell him he has to wait untill we know if the new meds are working. I think he thinks we are conspiring against him. I have tried every way I can to explain that I WANT HIM TO DRIVE, TOO!!!
We are both SO FRUSTRATED!!!!
Kristen
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