Saving Grace

It's been another one for the books.  Good grief, aren't they all????

My kids have been home from school for 8--EIGHT--days.  Factoring in weather, a post-exam break, and more weather, they haven't seen a full week of school since before their winter break.  We've done our best to keep busy, but cabin fever has set in quite readily.  I've been just a *little* emotional, and prone to frustrated, exhausted tears the past few days.

An hour ago, this was going to be a much different post.  Over the past 7 days, I've been trying to refill Noah's ADHD medication.  I've been to, or called, so many pharmacies I've lost count.  I started crying about 10 ago.  At a few, I may have ranted how this recent shortage has left my child high and dry, and unmedicated.  Millions of kids on this medication, mine is one of the few hundred thousand who truly need it in order to function, but I can't access it for him because of our overmedicated society.  We went through this last month, but were finally able to get it through our regular pharmacy.  This time, I was told by several pharmacies that they weren't sure anyone in our area has been able to get it in several weeks.  It's not as though I'm waiting until the last minute to fill this prescription, I'm starting out as soon as insurance will clear it.  I keep thinking, it really should not be this hard to get my hands on the one thing that helps Noah function.  The hardest part in this is when Noah blames himself--"Well, if I didn't have autism and ADHD, you wouldn't have to go through this and it wouldn't be an issue."  I can't make him see he has no control over any of it, and neither do I.  Not only that, but aside from it being my job as his mom, I want to be able to provide him with the one thing that truly helps him.

Noah is unable to take just any ADHD medication.  With the autism factor, many of the ones we tried made him manic.  Manic Noah is even less fun than Just Plain Out of Control Noah.  It was debilitating, and emotionally damaging, for him to realize he literally had no control physical control over what he was saying and doing.  We're talking running out of his seat in the middle of the sermon to do jumping jacks and shout as he counted kind of lack of control....  So, we found this one that works, and I plan to stick with it as long as possible.  I do not want to put Noah through any more med changes and mishaps if I absolutely do not have to.

The whole way home, I kept praying, "Come on God, PLEASE give this mama a much needed break."  I knew that if I didn't find something today, I wouldn't be able to send him to school tomorrow because he won't be able to function.

I had one last resort before I called the manufacturer and unleashed my wrath upon whatever poor soul happened to answer the phone:  A small locally owned pharmacy.  I called, in tears of course, and explained our situation.  I'm really not sure I even made sense to the pharmacist.  He doesn't carry it in stock, but had a game plan in play before we even hung up ten minutes later, and before I was in his parking lot five minutes after that.  When I thanked him profusely, he made me laugh by saying it really isn't rocket science, any pharmacist could've, and should've, done it.  That may be so, but to this mama, it really was rocket science because no one else had been willing to help until we happened upon him.

I'm feeling incredibly grateful, because now it looks as though it will be okay.  He's working with our insurance, and Noah's doctor, to change the prescription so Noah still gets the dose he needs of the medication he needs, and so we can have it before we officially run out tomorrow morning. And, he's going to order enough of it to keep it on hand for Noah's next refill.

Thank you, Jesus, for that much needed break today.