Prayer Request for my Brother

[square butte]

I would humbly ask for prayer for my Brother Earle. He is in assisted living out in CA. He's in his upper 60's and had been mentally ill since he was 20 or so - paranoid schizophrenia. His heart is very bad and he has had a few strokes in the last couple of years - mobility is limited. We were out to see him a few days ago and he passed out on to me while we were in the car. He refuses his med.'s off an on and refused to go to the hospital to be checked out. The good news is he does not think anything is wrong with him. To us it looks like he is nearing the end of his journey ( my wife is a Nurse Practitioner retired ) - But he has shown much resilience over many long years of suffering. A slow motion train wreck for almost 50 years now. My wife and I would like to ask those who are so inclined to pray for him and his care givers. We ask God for some comfort for him and to ease what suffering he has - And that the Good Lords Will be done. Thank you so much in advance for your efforts . . .

[Pine Baron]

Prayers sent to ease the suffering and bring comfort to Earle. And prayers for square butte and the family, also. It's not easy to watch a loved one in distress.

[Boaz]

Pine Baron said exactly what I would have . I will pray for all .

[jcren]

Prayers sent

[buckwheatpaul]

I have known Earle since the early 1970's. I pray that God gives his the clarity to accept medical treatment and the clarity to enjoy his life. Please walk with Earle and show him the way to a better life and a better life. AMEN

[Preacher Jim]

Lord only you can help Earle and we ask you to have mercies on this troubled child of yours.
In Jesus name Amen

[Blackwater]

Prayers up. I've had some experience with paranoid schizophrenics, and it's a beast to deal with. They typically don't want to take their meds, and there IS some reason for it. Most of them can have some pretty serious side effects, so a good psychiatrist has to constantly juggle their meds to avoid these side effects, that only make things worse, in the end. Hope that helps a little in understanding the reason he refuses to take them at times. Just know that none of what he's saying while he's "out of it" means anything. This is one case where the meds really ARE the key to his behavior, and it's a constant problem getting the right prescriptions as he goes through all that the disease presents to him. All you can really do is love and respect him, for he's in the throes of a dispicable disease that is much like Alzheimer's, in that it takes the person first, and only comes back for the body at the end. Nobody fights bigger demons than the paranoid schizophrenics!

My sister in law was affected with this, and believe it or not, when she was diagnosed with cancer and given less than 6 mo. to live, she went through the expected histrionics for a month or two, and then, just got plain old tired of it all, and decided that whatever the number of days she had left, she was going to LIVE them! The next thing she did was delve into her Faith, and, perhaps for the first time (?), she made an unabridged commitment to Christ. Then, she began questioning and fighting her impulses, impressions and the rare voices she heard after getting back on her meds reliably. She was an entirely changed person! She did continue to have impulses, but instead of just going with them and accepting her perceptions as the "real" reality, she began questioning it all, and fighting it.

Nobody has earned my respect and admiration more than she did! She did it the HARD way. The VERY hard way! So though nobody seems to really care about these folks, typically, you can have a tremendous effect on their future and well being. First step is finding a really good psychiatrist who knows how to juggle the meds well, and the rest is up to them, and to the love and care you show him. At least that's been my experience with my SIL, and it's gone all sorts of ways with the other schizophrenics I've dealt with on the job. It is NOT necessarily as bad as most folks think it has to be. I wish him and you and all the family and loved ones well. You have a very big job on your hands, and you'll never really know how to handle it until after the results are in. Prayer really, truly helps, though, always.

[USMC87]

Earle is added to our prayer list, May God be merciful.

[Bzcraig]

Father hear, then act upon the prayers of the Saints on behalf of Earle in Jesus name