Whew! Yesterday was one of those days where hyper-vigilance kicked in and my nerves were zinging most of that day into the evening. I decided I should confirm with the people at Link Care in Fresno that we would indeed have the care we need to follow up after seeing the VA Mental Health people here who have been trying to adjust Jeff's meds to get him stabilized. I wrote an e-mail asking if Link Care could assure us that there would be a doctor available to track with us on that issue. I included my phone number in the e-mail so very soon I received a phone call from the administrator we had been working with to get into the Link Care Program. I was asked, "What's going on?" as if our mission and I had not been communicating the dire straits we've been in with Jeff's intense struggle with PTSD including the rage and depression that are common with it. I proceeded to explain the very emotional ride we've been on for the past 5 months and that I wanted to be sure there would be proper care for Jeff when we arrived in Fresno. I could hear the administrator madly typing taking notes at his computer as I talked. Then he asked if Jeff would be a threat to other missionaries during our stay at Link Care. I assured him Jeff is not a violent man. He also quickly stated that he was not sure the Link Care program would be appropriate and worth the huge amount of money, that is, it may not be beneficial, for us at this point. So I asked, "Are you telling me that we should not come down this weekend? That we were planning to leave Saturday to arrive Monday. And can you assure me that there will be a prescribing doctor who can work with us on the meds?" He quickly said, "No." Meaning we should still, at that point, plan to come. And, "No", we could not count on having a prescribing doctor's care. I said, "Well, then, the door is closed." He said, "Let's not be hasty." He wanted to talk with the program director about our issues and that he would get back to us.
At quarter past 3, when Jeff and I were ready to leave for his VA Mental Health appointment, the Link Care administrator called and read a statement that they would require a written note or document stating that Jeff is medically stable, able to do 13 hours of counseling per week including group sessions and that he would not be a threat to the other missionaries in the Link Care community.
Okay! Now we had something to go on. I was grateful.
At VA not only did we meet with the Nurse Practitioner who has been prescribing meds; she brought in the Social Services man who has been looking into helping us figure out the plan for PTSD In-Patient treatment either in Tacoma or somewhere else. We told them what was asked of them by Link Care and we were assured that Jeff is NOT medically stable enough to go into that kind of counseling setting. They asked if we would like to now step up the VA out-patient treatment which is required as preparation for the In-Patient Treatment. David, the Social Services man, explained that due to the nature of PTSD there were criteria that they have to meet through preparing the Vet to learn how to move away from their "Fight or Flight" coping mechanisms so that they won't bale out of the more intense In Patient program where they must deal with painful inner wounds.
So at last, it feels like we are in the system. AT LAST! THANK GOD! Jeff and I had been praying that God would close and open doors for us as we did not feel we were wise enough nor healthy enough to make those decisions on our own. That is why we were leaning into our member care at WorldVenture. I so appreciated the prayerful way they were approaching it, as well. So the door to Link Care was definitely closed yesterday and the door to VA treatment seems definitely opened. I cannot tell you how much peace that gives us both. We have 2 appointments in place next week to begin the deeper work of symptom management which is their expertise with Combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and they will continue to track Jeff's meds. Now we pray that we'll be able to grow spiritually and recover some sense of wellbeing emotionally and physically through this next phase of the journey.
