A New Song Just Past the Horizon Part III

Just for fun, Doctor Concerned sent Sissy’s prescription (via computer) to a different pharmacy rather than the one near my house that we asked her to send it to. After we had waited for almost an hour for her medicine, my sweet pharmacist finally located the prescription across town at Target. By then, I had had enough reindeer games. I had a very sick sister who just needed to get a good meal and a good night’s sleep, so I took her home with me.

I  cooked her supper, then rummaged in my closet and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a Tshirt for her to change in to.  What Dr. Concerned didn’t know was that my husband had the exact same mild sleeping medication at home, which he takes on an "as needed" basis, courtesy of the VA. As my mama used to say, "There’s more than one way to skin a cat." I borrowed two of his pills and gave them to Sis, then bedded her down in my guest room upstairs. It had been a long, eventful day and I fell into bed exhausted.

I left her sleeping the next morning, as I drove over to Summer’s to keep Emmi that day. Sissy could sleep as late as she liked, then would call her husband to come pick her up and take her home; she then dispatched him to track down her medication at Target.

It took a few days, but Sissy did call and make an appointment with the mental health clinic recommended by the HR department at Randy’s job. They had worked with this doctor before and she accepted their insurance; unfortunately, the first available appointment was January 6, which was almost 6 weeks away.

We made it through those six weeks without any further melt-downs. The medication worked pretty well, and Sissy was able to begin to get caught up on some much needed sleep. The medicine also has a mild anti-depressant effect which was very helpful. Thanksgiving came and went, then Christmas and finally New Year’s. Sissy hung on, and even though I could tell she wasn’t 100%, she was  much better than she had been previously. She also suffers from migraines, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, so pain is her constant companion. But as long as she is able to sleep at night, she can cope with the pain during the day. I just kept checking on her daily, spending time with her, encouraging her and reminding her of better days to come.

January 6 dawned cold and clear and windy. Although the sun was shining brightly, the temperature hovered around 17 degrees as we made the 45 minute drive to Little Rock. We located the address without any difficulty, driving around and around the huge parking deck until we found a space not too far from the entrance. Bracing ourselves against the cold, we made a run for the door, then up the elevator to the 5th floor.

We were greeted warmly by the receptionist, and Sissy was handed a thick sheaf of papers to fill out. Name, address, birthdate, next of kin, phone number, place of employment, etc, etc. She made it through several pages before I began to see tears dripping onto the paper; she was overwhelmed.

"Want me to write for you awhile?" I asked her. She just handed over the papers gratefully, and I finished them up for her. Years and years of being on the other side of that paperwork had served me well and I was able to fill in her medical and family history very quickly. Shortly after she handed her papers back to the receptionist, Dr. Joyce came out to the waiting room and called her.

The first thing about Dr. Joyce that impressed me was the fact that she pronounced Sissy’s name correctly, not an easy feat. You see, Sissy’s real name is Marquitta, not a common name and not one which most people can pronounce correctly on the first try. It’s pronounced "Mar-KEE-da." She gets called Margaret a lot, and Margarita, and Margie.  But Dr. Joyce pronounced her name perfectly, and I gave her points for that.

She shook hands with both of us, introduced herself and escorted us back to her office. It was large and spacious, beautifully decorated, and with a bank of windows that looked out onto the skyline of Little Rock. She had us sit down, then invited Sissy to just tell her a little bit about why she was here. Sissy took a deep breath, and I knew we were entering into a new phase of her life; one which I prayed would lead  her down the path to deliverance once and for all, from the demons which had chased her most of her life. And so it began.

……to be continued……