Dora: The Amazing Service Dog

Dora completed training to be my service dog this week. My father and I went to pick her up and then drove on to Birmingham for a nice lunch. I go up for some extra training on Monday.

Over the past two years, many have asked me the following question; "Just what do you think a service dog will be able to do for you?"  I would always answer," The dog would be able to predict some attacks, which would give me some warning before I faint. Dora knew this immediately. The dog would be able to go with me everywhere and thus provide greater independence. The dog would also be a good ambassador and source of emotional support"  I have had more than one doctor tell me, "It sounds like you just want a dog." I actually have a dog- a standard poodle named Max. He is good, but he isn't a service dog.

The truth is that Dora has exceeded all of my expectations- from the the day I met her, she knew when  I was about to faint. In fact, she picked me. I am usually able to get down to the floor before fainting, or if she doesn't catch the attack, she immediately comes to me and stays with me until it is over. She will not let me get up if she thinks I will fall again. I am no longer afraid of walking down the street and fainting because I know Dora will alert. Earlier this summer, I was walking home from the gym and fainted on my way home. Some very nice maintaince guys from the college across the street gave me a ride home in their golf cart. Fifteen minutes later, a professor was at my door to make sure I was ok and wouldn't sue. 20 minutes later, I got a phone call from my parents telling me that I had scared the college. Now that Dora is with me, I can walk with confidence. As exercise seems to help my condition, this is good for both of us. Service dogs or not, all dogs need walks. Needless to say, I learned a great deal from the Dog Whisperer. Dora also goes to volunteer with me at an elementary school. She will be helping some of the kindergartners there to read. She is a good ambassador for service dogs and for me. People also do not freak out as much when I have Dora with me and under federal law, I can no longer be called a liability.

I still faint a great deal anywhere from 5-20 times on an average day. But Dora has helped be alerting and by allowing greater independence. The headaches are still horrendous, but she knows when they are bad as well. Everything that people say about animals calming you down is true.

As we embark on this adventure, I hope to spread the word and gain even more independence. Dora stories will also be added to the blog from time to time.

Migraine Flashback: The Gospel and the Military Plan

Due to the fainting, I have been called a liability many times. In most cases, it happens because people are scared- they are scared to see me fall, but also scared of repercussions.  Unfortunately, we live in a society where every business is afraid of a lawsuit.  However, I will never forget the first time that I was called a liability due to migraines.

I was in divinity school at the time.  The school knew about the migraines, but was not very accommodating. One day, I was called into my advisor’s office. I was surprised to find both my advisor and the Dean of Students in the office. Note- both of these people were ordained ministers in the Church. They said they were “concerned” about the headaches. I will never forget what happened next. My advisor then said, “Your migraines make you an inconvenience to others and a detriment to the community.” When I asked how they made me a “detriment to the community, they said, “Well, you have asked people to for a ride to your doctor’s office and that means you are taking them away from the community. (My doctor’s office was two blocks from the school.) I think they were desperately trying to justify their position. 

The honest truth is that they were scared. I remember leaving the office in shock. It was impossible for me to reconcile these horrible comments with the fact that I was in a school to prepare for the ministry and that two of those ministers had no problem telling me that I was an “inconvenience.” Clearly, they must have skipped the class when they were studying the Gospel. At the very least, both seemed to have forgotten a passage read every Sunday in the Rite One service of communion-

            Here what the Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and great Commandment and the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

However, there were several people there who were willing and able to help me- who refused to believe what my advisors had said. One of these was a former Marine. If I needed to go to the doctor, he came up with a military plan. I went out one door. He went out another- after scouting and making sure that there were no teachers around, we met in back parking lot and he took me to the doctor. Afterwards, we stopped by the store and got something, so that no would ask where I had been.

I left divinity school after my first year. But for me, the call to the ministry has never gone away. In the past few years, I have found that I can use my talents and minister in different ways. I write AR tests for a Christian School, I volunteer at an elementary school, where the phrase “It is ok, sometimes SS falls down” is spoken by 6 year olds. Though I still feel the call to ordained ministry, I have also realized that the collar doesn’t make the minister. In fact, the ministry is made up of a thousand little things, of the choices we make, and how we treat others. It is in the struggle between faith and doubt. It is in every moment I am in pain and know that I can call someone and they will listen. It is in the many falls when others try to help.  The church is the body of Christ and we are called to be witnesses to that and to strive to be like Christ. Most of all, I have found that during this crazy journey with migraines and fainting, God has always been there. He may not give what we want, but he gives what we need.

Call for Submissions!

I am hosting the September Headache and Migraine Blog Carnival. The topic is Talking About Migraine: How do you talk to the people in your life about migraine disease? How open are you? What do you share and what do you keep to yourself and why?

Entries are due tomorrow at midnight.

The carnival will be posted here on Tuesday.

Some Changes: Less poetry, More stories.

 

I know I haven’t been blogging as much lately. There has been a lot going on-both good and bad. I got a service dog.  The headaches are still bad. School has started- so I am back to volunteering and that helps a lot too.

Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking more this whole journey through migraines and fainting.  So I am going to introduce some more stories and things that have happened over the past fourteen years. So, in addition to many Dora stories, I have decided to introduce a “flashback” section of the blog. So welcome to my crazy life!

I can promise more stories, some good, some bad, but all have shaped this crazy life of mine.

Note: many names will be changed to protect the innocent, the guilty, and my friends.

Dora the Service Dog

Dora

I finally have a service dog! Her name is Dora, which means gift, and she truly is a gift to me. I have been on the waiting list for a service dog for about a year or so now. The service dog is an alert dog- she can pretty much give me a few seconds warning before I fall. This is great, as it allows me to get to the floor and such. She also stays with me until it is ok.

Though I have been on the waiting list with an organization, Dora came to me through a different route. The vet school located about 50 miles away trains dogs for TSA/homeland security. Due to the fact that I am fainting more, my parents are not getting younger, and other things, I thought I would call and see if there were any dogs who might work as service dogs, but didn’t make the final TSA cut. When I called, the person in charge told me that a lady who ran a service dog organization was coming to look at dogs later that week, so I asked if I could come too. He said sure.

As soon as they brought Dora in, she came over to me, and I passed out ten seconds later. This happened twice. The third time, Dora was across the room eating treats. She stopped, perked up, and began running to me, by the time she got there I was falling and she let me fall on her. After several people scraped their jaws off the floor, one said, “I think we just found S’s dog.” I spoke to the lady who ran the organization and she said it was pretty clear that Dora was “mine”. She also gave me the name of several trainers.

I picked her up on Monday and she has been doing great. She is a black lab and very calm. She is good at alerting. She starts training on Sept 1 and I will go up twice a week to train with her. I am so grateful to have her.

So a new adventure begins.

You might have a fainting disorder if:

Your mother tells you to take some medication before you go to the cocktail party.

The Balance of the Fight

I don’t understand this fight anymore.

Day after day, I fight this war against pain and fainting- using the greatest weapons at my disposal.
There are pills, potions, and medications that grant me a few hours of relief,
A sophisticated device is implanted in my skull to fight the disease and to allow the medicine to work.
And then there is the oldest and greatest weapon of them all- faith, prayer, and belief in God. These are my weapons, this is arsenal that grants me some respite, some peace.
And I know that I have no choice- I must fight this battle and I will win- and so day after day, year after year, I fight to lead a normal life.
But it is not the only war I have to fight.

This second front is worse- for it is here that others judge me.

Here the paradoxes multiply  and I fight just to keep the balance.
I must appear to be well when I am not.
I must mask the effects of medications that relieve the pain, so no one will see that I am in pain.
Though this daily pain would bring many to their knees, and have many begging for relief from pain, and it would be treated; I must keep calm, soldier on, and deny that I need a respite.

Lord, I am tired and I do not know what to do anymore.
I can fight the war against pain, but the battle here is overwhelming.
All I can do is fight, and pray, and hope that others will understand.
But one day, Lord, you will save me, you will take me to a place where pain will be no more,
And there I shall live in peace.