Fight for the Nat

It is a hard thing to watch one of your children suffer.  I have watched Natalie suffer through some horrible pain as she battles with anxiety and depression.  It has been an extremely difficult few weeks and she has battled with thoughts of worthlessness and of suicide. I have had her to the doctor, we have adjusted medications; I have had her visit a therapist, she is learning different strategies for coping and redirecting thoughts.  These are good things but there is more to it.  She is still struggling.  He medication may not be what she needs and that is the difficult part about medication. It becomes a bit of a guessing game as to what will work for a given individual.  I spoke with her doctor this morning and I contacted the place where she has therapy. I talked to her doctor about receiving psychiatric care, he encouraged that course.  I talked to the place where she has therapy because it is like the only place in Cedar that I found a psychiatrist.  They have one but he is rarely in Cedar.  The crisis specialist and coordinator I was speaking with today said it would be a few weeks before they could have someone see her.  That just doesn't sound good.  I decided to contact the school and see if there is something we can do to lighten the load.  She is struggling in math, she is behind in math and I think that is a major source of anxiety for her.  I sought out some options with her counselor and I think we have come up with a plan that will allow her to drop the math class, adjust her seminary schedule to release time, and provide her with additional time during the day for getting her work done.  This appeared to be a good thing for her.  She feels good about it and feels a weight lifted off her shoulders.  I truly hope that this will ease her struggles some and provide her with peace.  She still has much to do to get through the school year.  I know she can do it.  She had a better day today and we used some of her medication wisely and it helped her to cope with stress and anxiety.  I believe we will get her there.  I love that little girl of mine and pray for her happiness and well being.  Depression is difficult but we will press forward as best we can.