How Lyndsey was Diagnosed, Part II - MRI Results

Waiting is hard. Especially when you’re waiting on health answers about your child. Jesus was with us in our waiting.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

We got Lyndsey’s CT results the last week of August, 2018: she has had a stroke at some point in her life. We were referred to a neurologist for further help with her headaches and to learn more about the stroke. That appointment was one month later on September 25^th, 2018. In the meantime, I had Lyndsey start keeping a diary of her headaches so we would have information to give the neurologist. I printed out a Pain Scale for her with numbers 1 to 10 and descriptions to help her communicate the level of pain. Whenever she had a headache, she would write down the date, time, pain level, where on her head it hurt, the barometric air pressure, if she had something hormonally going on, and even what she had eaten or if she had an empty stomach. She also kept track of what medicine she took – if Tylenol took care of it or if she needed the prescription. I am very proud of her for the excellent job she did keeping such detailed records. We were determined to figure out what was causing her headaches!




The day for the neurology appointment finally arrived. The Dr. listened to us and looked over Lyndsey’s headache diary. She suggested that Lyndsey take two supplements that help some people with migraines and ordered an MRI to learn more about the stroke. We would follow up with her on November 12^th.  The MRI was scheduled for October 9^th at 4 pm. Lyndsey had an MRI about 10 years ago on her legs but was unable to complete it because she couldn’t be still enough – sometimes her legs move involuntarily. This time we asked for a mild sedative to help her get through it.


Lyndsey did great during the MRI! Didn’t move a bit! It was around 5 pm when we got finished so we sat in the parking lot and ordered food from Red Robin to pick up on the way home for dinner. Before I could put the car in drive to head home, I got a call from the neurologist. She said that the technician who just finished Lyndsey’s MRI had called her and that we should go immediately to the hospital! The technician had seen what looked like a possible brain bleed on her MRI. My reaction at this point was disbelief – Lyndsey had only had 2 small headaches in the past 3 weeks. She was her Happy Girl self! We were tired and wanted to go home. And I had just ordered dinner!


I asked the Dr., “Really? You mean Right Now?” She said, “Yes, now” and so my brain could not remember where any hospitals were! Millions of thoughts are going through my mind as the Dr. gives me hospital choices and where they are. She said she would call the Emergency Department so they would be expecting us. When I hung up the phone, I couldn’t remember which hospital we agreed that I would go to, so Lyndsey and I went into the Dr’s office – we were still in the parking lot. Lyndsey is only hearing my side of the conversation and I am trying to remain calm for her. I told her that they want her to go to the emergency room. Lyndsey remained calm, just going with the flow.


It is well after 5 pm now and there are not many people around as we go into the Dr. office. A nurse, I think, is on her way out and asks if she can help us. My eyes are welling up now. I tell her Lyndsey’s name and that we just got off the phone with the Dr. and are supposed to go to the hospital but I don’t remember which one. She works with Lyndsey’s Dr. and is aware of our situation – this is God ordained – and tells me that I am to go to Baptist East on Walnut Grove. I hope I thanked her and we were on our way.

The first thing Lyndsey thought of as we drove to the hospital was that we needed to call Kimberly, her supervisor at Advent Presbyterian’s nursery, in case she was not able to go to work the following Wednesday night. This is the first example of my little angel thinking of others before herself. I called Kimberly and also asked her to let people at church know we were going to the hospital and to please pray. I called Pam, my supervisor at Shepherd’s Haven and told her what was going on and that I may miss work. I asked her to get Shepherd’s Haven people praying for Lyndsey, too. I called Mark and told him some things to bring when he met us at the hospital. And to Pray …

Brothers and sisters, pray for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:25 NIV