Wilson Falls Adventure

Wilson Falls Off Trail Adventure

Large flowered trillium blooming along the way.

Dana & Kenny Koogler

Mike Gourley

Marlene Denton

Dwayne Allen

Sunday April 13 , 2014

11 miles through hike.

with approx. 4 miles of the trip off trail

 **I do not have a link to photos with this trip report.
My computer crashed and I lost all the Wilson Falls pictures except
for the ones I had already put on Facebook.  

At least I have those and the video material.** 

     The persons who know me in real time and are readers of my blog or 

keep up with me on Go Smokies, Facebook, and Backpacker.com  are  aware

I am recovering from a serious illness.   The name of the illness is Miller Fisher Syndrome. 

It affected my vision giving my instant double vision. It paralyzed my eyes. It took away my balance. It gave me vertigo.  It made me very weak. It  took away all my tendon reflexes. It depressed my drive to breath for a time.  Writing this blog entry is going to be one of those

difficult ones. It is so personal it is hard to frame up completely and put my emotions down

in words.   I will give it my best shot. At the time of this writing I am well. Thanks be to God!

           I have known about Wilson Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

for many years.  I think I first learned of it about 11 years ago.  I saw it on a map of the park.

It is on the map but there is no trail to it.   Kenny and I first began off trail hiking about the time I learned of the existence of this place.   We did not make an attempt to locate it the first time   until a couple years after I'd been backpacking.  I talked Kenny into going backpacking with me and we stayed at CS 30 the time I completed Little River Trail.  We set up camp and 

hiked the short distance back to try to go off trail and find it.  I purchased a 1931 map of the 

Smokies before it was a National Park.  It shows all the old logging railroad grades and logging trails on that map.   We were unsuccessful this attempt.   We started up the wrong side of the stream and missed the old logging grade. 

           A year ago I had discussed with Mike Gourley and Kenny about making another attempt.    I do not recall why we did not go then, but again.. it was not in the cards.   

              I had been getting out doing some minor off trail and wilderness hiking. 

It was turning out to be really good for my recovery.  The biggest problem I had at this point

was proprioception difficulty.  My brain struggled to know the position of my limbs in space.

I read that re-training old pathways in the brain to reconnect by doing this type of activity was

one of the quickest, best ways to heal.  I was more than happy to keep at it.

       Wilson Falls had become in my mind one of those things I was conflicted over.

One part of me desperately wanted to do this trip and see this magnificent falls. 

I wanted to be among the few who could say they'd seen it.  Another part of me was afraid to make this trip.   Yet another part of me was not willing to put out the physical exertion that was going to be required to make it happen.   Another part of me wanted this so badly but was afraid it would not happen I would not allow myself to think about it much.   I kept it not even on my mental back burner of plans. I kept this one in a locked box in the closet on a high shelf.

      

       It got mentioned on Go Smokies by Mike Gourley and Marlene Denton.  I knew that

this would be one trip that I'd never attempt alone.  I also knew that it is hard to get folks to

commit to this sort of thing because of its extremity.  I did not believe I was ready owing to my 

physical limitations.  I am just going to put it out there as to what I believe happened.

If you don't agree with me........... and can't say anything nice... keep your thoughts to yourself.

Making the Decision to Go

       
I had hit a plateau of sorts in my recuperation.  Wednesday night before this hike...I experienced a rapid burst of healing.   I drove home at 10 pm from my daughters house without an eye patch for the first time.   I drove to work the next day and back home from work without it.     My vision cleared up to 98% normal. It was a marvelous feeling to be able to SEE one thing.. one image and not everything doubled.     

    

  I contacted Mike and Marlene and those who were interested and let them know Friday that Kenny and I planned to join.  I could feel it coming together.  Saturday we did a short but intense off trail hike to Chilogatee Creek Falls to see how I handled the terrain.  I was successful in that, but I admit I still had my misgivings.   I went to bed Saturday night with the 

determination that all I could do was try it.  I did not want to mess things up and ruin it for 

everyone. I did not want to live with the regret at having missed the opportunity.  We prayed

it over as a couple and asked God to watch over and guide us.   We further asked the Lord to 

please keep our companions safe and bless them.  Decision making for us goes like this:

Lord, If we are to do this thing.... remove the obstacles and make straight the way.

If we are not meant to do this thing put every obstacle in our way and prevent it from happening.    

"Thy will be done".  It is the prayer that never fails. 

Becoming a Team

 We watched in amazement as it fell into place effortlessly.   The right, likeminded, experienced 

companions. It can't go unmentioned that advice from Jenny Bennett was invaluable in our decision making.  She is a superb off trail hiker.   Favorable weather.   It was  meant to be. 

        We met up with Mike and Marlene at the Elkmont Trailhead and parked two of the cars there.  We greeted each other. Kenny and I had never met any of these fine folks before in real life.  I'd only read about them and communicated with them on line through Go Smokies.
We all admitted our misgivings to one another.  We all agreed that if any one of us got that
gut feeling we needed to quit, turn around, get out.... we would all as a unit do just that!
We agreed to TRY this trip.      

Striking Out in the General Direction

   We headed up the mountain to the Clingmans Dome road.   At the trailhead there we had a very nice surprise waiting.  It was Dwayne Allen also of Go Smokies site and Happy Valley resident.    It was wonderful meeting all of them.   We hiked the A.T. out to and just past the summit of  Mt. Collins.  Finally the terrain improved just a tad and we left the trail to

begin our descent.   

           The terrain below the summit of Mt. Collins is unlike anything we'd seen before.
We were in the balsam zone.  Pines, hemlocks, fir trees. Deep dark and green.   The snow melt
and all the rain we'd had this past cold Winter had the area saturated.  Look at the map of the 
area and imagine the fingers of blue spreading out on the map. These are the tributary streams
that feed Meigs Post Prong.  The amount of springs and tiny tributaries that make up that stream are innumerable.  It was too pretty for words.  You cannot adequately capture it in a photo. It is one of those life time experiences that you just have to be there and see it and do it yourself.   It is why we off trail hikers do what we do.  It is worth the risk. 

     We had three men with GPS devices all keeping check on our progress and 
everyone working together as a team.  Scouting. Consulting.  Encouraging. Helping. 
The humor, spirit, camaraderie of this trip was outstanding. It will never be lost on me.
I was not 100%, but I believe it was how the Lord meant it to be for me.  This was a comeback
hike for me to end all.   What it helped end for me was doubt.  I have trouble making myself
vulnerable and allowing others to see that side of me.  I don't like to ask for help. I had to ask for help. Allow vulnerabilty. Admit my weakness.  Accept help.  Show gratitude.   Everyone with me was willing to accept me and help me.  It completed me.  We all discussed the fact 
that when you go through a hard task like this with people you bond with them.  
Today I made good, lasting friends.  They more than made up for what lacked in me.
I love them all for it. 

              

  Spring beauties in the valley along Meigs Post Prong.

    

      We plowed through rhododendron at a couple points along this trip.
We made it through after a hard fight.  We sat and rested.  We had more open terrain here, but now  we realized we were very close to the top of the falls. We all had doubts about
being able to get down to the stream and below the falls to view it??  The doubts were short lived.    We soon found ourselves at the stream.    The view opened up and here is what we saw.

Top--the beginnings of Wilson Falls
Bottom--Rocky knob on the upper slopes of Mt. Collins

 Arriving at the Main Falls

     The weather we had was perfect.  It was warm enough to remove jackets now.  The skies
were blue and sunny.   The air was crisp and fresh.  It was a bluebird day for certain.
 We all took turns scrambling around on the rocks for a view of the stream and the various
drops of the massive 400 foot falls.  It is not all one falls. It is a continuous, connected serious of drops.  Patches of white on a topo map usually indicate rock.  Wilson Falls is one of those white patches.  The terrain on the opposite side of the creek was even steeper and rockier.
We definitely picked the correct side of the stream for this part of the journey.

 One of the largest drops of Wilson Falls. 

A rainbow in the bottom of Wilson Falls.

  Everyone was having a good time. We were all excited and very pleased. We had made it to thus far!

We had seen the falls!  We were all ecstatic.   I looked down and saw a rainbow in the splashing waters of one of the biggest drops of the falls.  I was overcome by emotion.  I was here. I was well.

I had friends with me and a husband who loved me, accepted me, and were willing to help and accept me.    God is truly good every day. One of the ways He shows his love and keeps his promises to us/me is through other people.  Our fellow travelers on the planet who can reach out to us. 

It is one of those rare moments in life that to me are more precious than gold. I felt like the most blessed person in the whole world right then.  

Navigating the Crux--The Boulder Field

   The next part of the trip was to be one of the most frightening experiences I've ever

lived through.  Navigating the boulder field between Wilson Falls and the terrain below to

arrive at  the remnants of the old logging grade. We would follow the stream and the old logging

road all the way to Little River Trail at Elkmont.   A boulder field high in the headwaters of a 

stream in the Smoky Mountains is treacherous.   The one we faced today was the worst thing

I've ever seen.  The boulders ranged in size from a footstool to a small room.  The problem

becomes that every step you take must be thought out and tested before moving forward.

A wrong choice can be a committing move.  A committing move is one that puts you in an 

even worse position you have no way out of and either have to see through or maybe not 

survive it at all.   The gaps between boulders can be filled by wood, loose dirt, talus, leaves, or debris.

The terrain is seldom if ever traveled so the boulders and surrounding area are often covered 

by great sheets of moss that drape them.   You cannot tell when you make a step if the ground

 will support you or if your foot and leg will keep going.  

     All of us were experienced off trail hikers.  Kenny and I have negotiated boulder fields

like this in the Smokies and elsewhere, but this was by far the worst.  It went further.

It was more slippery. The possibility for injury was greater. Marlene was ahead of me at one

point and I heard the sound of rock grinding on rock.  I looked over and saw one of those 

footstool sized boulders shifting place and sliding down the slope right for her.  I was fortunate

enough to be in the place to just reach out and stop it.   Climbing down off these boulders with 

my balance and vision still wonky was not fun.  Many spots along the down climb here

involved sliding over boulder faces that a wrong move would land you in a gaping hole beneath that boulder!  I was using my Lamaze breathing to get through this experience.  Marlene and Kenny and everyone really stuck by me with a helping hand and reassurance.  Once safely past this we 

truly had the worst of the trip behind us.  

 View from the top of Wilson Falls

 Wilson Falls deep in the heart of the Smokies where few have trod.

Middle of the Manway 

   The 1931 map shows an old logging road and it is indeed there as shown.  It is about like I expected.  You can't depend on it.  Most of it is overgrown with thick rhododendron.  Trees

have fallen across it in many spots forcing you to leave it every whip stitch.  We made our own way for most of the rest of the time. We followed the logging road when we could. We just 

mainly followed the path of least resistance with the most open terrain.  We stopped and ate lunch at one point.  I was so excited it was hard to eat.  Marlene said at one point along the trip 

that the boulder field had her so scared she thought she'd vomit.  I was sorry she felt that way, but thankful she said it. I had felt exactly the same way, but like I often do when I am scared...

I got quiet.     We all enjoyed the beauty of the surroundings and the terrain that was far easier compared to where we'd come from.

      The drainage of Meigs Post Prong is a hanging valley filled to the brim with springs

and green growing things.  Rhododendron is one of them.  All off trail hikers have a love/hate

relationship with rhodo.  On one hand we despise it because of the impediment to travel.

On the other hand we love it because of the anchors and hand holds it provides when descending

a steep slope.  We ran the full gamut of those feelings on the trip that day!   

Springtime here in this valley coats the slopes with spring beauties, trout lilies, ramps, and other pretty new vegetation.  Saying it was lush was an understatement. 

 

Top-- trout lilies blooming along the way

Bottom-- the 25 ft middle cascade of Wilson Falls which is further down Meigs Post Prong.

    One of the coolest things about this collection of hikers who for the most part did not know each

other was we all got the Hillbilly Intercom system! Ernest T. Bass on Andy Griffith used to say
Hooty Hoo to you and you.. its me its me.. its Ernest T.  We all without discussing it........ used

the same yodels to find each other in the brush. One of the cardinal rules of off trail hiking is to stay 

within ear shot of each other.   Staying in visual contact is not always possible.

   We enjoyed a stop by the middle cascade which was highly photogenic.

A little further on we fought through the second batch of downfall and rhodo of the day.

It was not as bad as the upper part, but longer. We surfed and swam through it to reach

the 50 ft falls shown below.

We paused to enjoy this spot and soak it up seeing as none of us would likely ever be back here again.

We took a group shot here.  It was a lot of fun.  Well, our kind of fun anyway.  

         Mike Gourley just below the 50 foot lower falls.  

Next we had to just continue down to try to find Meigs Post Prong Falls..a 15 foot waterfall

at the intersection of a tributary of Meigs Post Prong and the main stream.  Mike hiked further than

all the rest of us being determined to seek out and photograph ALL the waterfalls on today's trip.

Long story short is that we never found it.  It was not for the lack of his efforts. The rest of us were

not as committed to that part of it.  We were more desirous of having a real trail under foot as soon as possible.  I had said I was mainly concerned with being on the real trail before dark.

We soon came to the site of an old structure. It was probably not a home, but more likely a logging

camp structure.  It had three bed frames in close proximity to one another.  More like a bunk house than a dwelling.  Here we got up on the old logging grade and tried to stick with it as much as possible. We rooted through rhodo for the third and final time today.  This was yet a little easier than the other two times.  It was possible to stand up more than the other two belly crawls. 

At last we emerged onto the Little River Trail and were cheering!! We'd made it! It was only 4:30 pm.  We were on a real trail well before dark.  The next three hours we trudged out of there 6.8 miles back to the cars.  We were weary and footsore but happy.  The trail was beautiful with Spring green

and wildflowers and the river filled with pretty pools and cascades. 

 

Top --close up of fringed phacelia

Middle--Kenny along a pretty stretch of Little River Trail.

Bottom-- cluster of large flowered trilliums along the trail.

    We made it to the cars by before dark. We met up with Dwayne who was waiting on us. Marlene had to motor on home fast seeing as she had work the next day very early.   We all traveled to the top of the mountain together in Mike's car.   It was good to sit down and have wheels under us. 

We enjoyed chatting with one another.   It had grown chilly and was fully dark.

We parted company with Mike and Dwayne. I know they had to be as worn out as we were.

We stopped in Gatlinburg to get a quick bite to eat at Wendy's before heading home.

We were filthy dirt, smelly and exhausted. So tired we almost didn't want to eat, but had to.

We also were very pleased with our accomplishment.  We made excellent new friends.

I"m already looking forward to seeing these folks again!

New members of our hiking family!  

Below is a video of Wilson Falls 

Chilogatee Creek Falls

Old warsh tub.. pioneer junk.. along the trail.

Chilogatee Creek Falls --Two Attempts for One Falls!

    I have been lucky enough to become friends with that intrepid off trail explorer.. Mike Gourley!   He is good about sharing info and what a blessing that has been!

We learned of a nice waterfall near home in our own county. Reading Mike's trip report
we realized there was a big waterfall close to the house.  We were busting to go see it.
We took a look at the maps. Got in the truck and headed that way following his directions.

 We found the spot to enter the woods and start the trail. There is an actual trail for part of the way.  It is a very short hike.  We passed an old homesite and some pioneer junk along the way. We saw daffodils at the old home site.

    We found the top of the falls.  The bluff here was a sheer drop.  We had known from reading the topo map and his description that reaching the base was going to be tough.
The terrain here is super steep and it is one of the narrowest gorges either of us had ever seen.   Dark down there. Reminds you of the line from the Patti Loveless song "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" where it talks about the sun coming up at 10 in the morning and going down at 3 in the day. That is how it is there.   We foolishly listened to MY idea and followed the trail down and the creek back up. It was horrible.  We bushwhacked up through there slipping and sliding and not making much real progress.  The terrain forces you into the creek as the only semi level ground to walk on.  Kenny was not having it.
Finally he said forget this we are out of here.  We began the steep climb back out. 

 

This is the only view of the falls we had on the 1st try.

This is the top portion only with no way down from here.

 

And here is the creature I found on my climb up.

My eyes are still working well enough to spot a snake!

This is a harmless northern water snake. 

Any snake with round pupils is non poisonous. These are often mistaken 

for copperheads who look similar.  My balance was not ready for this.

I fell and injured my shoulder and ankle today on the way in.  

I did not realize until the next day how badly I had bruised my shoulder joint.

I was also limping on the injured ankle for several days.

Try Try Again! --The Second Attempt.

 Saturday March 29, 2014

Balance is better.  Vision is better.  Gonna try this again.

We needed something to do that did not involve a long drive.

We'd finish this today!

We took rope. We decided to learn from the previous mistakes.

We hit the trail and picked the exact right place to go down over the bluff.

The last thirty feet were too steep though. We roped up and rappelled down.

It was fun. I never had a moments hesitation or fear. My balance in performing

this was perfect.  We got IN the creek and waded.  It was not easy, but it was

shorter, more direct and relatively level.   We make two bends in the creek which is wedged between high gorge walls and we were there!

Chilogatee Creek Falls. It is about 70 ft high! Plenty of water coming over it today.
Well worth the effort ... thus far!



You can view the entire falls from the left side of the creek near the base.
We had to climb up onto the slopes of the bluff to see it. Today was good
practice for my balance and with the new camera.

The bluff was loose slate. It was a choss and scree pile.
 Remember this because its going to be on the quiz!

 My 19th Nervous Breakdown--Climbing Back UP!

Kenny took a notion we would not go back the way we came.  

He realized that just above the bluff where we were now... was the place we 

had turned to start down.   No point going back. Just leave that $3 poly rope.

Climb the bluff back to where we came in.  Easy for him to say.

The next thing I knew I was foolishly but obediently hauling my 

Big Booty Judy self back up there to where he was.  He is like a monkey.

He found a way up in no time flat.  Then he had to come back to get me and help me.

The bluff above us

Climbed up here. Never never again.  At least not without a rope!!

The climb up here was horrifying to me.  Remember.. I'm dealing with proprioception problems.  I can't tell where my body and limbs are positioned in space real well yet.
So climbing here on a slope that is allowing me to slide back down every second or two was a nightmare.
 I was terrified and crying by the time I was back on the mountain above this.  I was pissed off, but glad to be alive.  A roped climb controls the descent or ascent.
It provides a fixed anchor and position in space for my focus.  A slate bank... with no rope
allowing my body position to constantly change is not the ticket!
But we made it.

I grumbled all the way back to the truck. Siggin friggin... never doin' that again.. shoulda gone back the way we came and climbed the &^%#* rope......

Illness, Death and Pain.. the Lord Beside Me All the Way

Recovery-- A Continuing Theme in My Life

Miller Fisher Syndrome 

Dana Koogler 

     I recall a story told the family by my great grandfather Charlie Updike Bradley aka Poppy.   He told of a man being taken down the Valley Pike bound hand and foot on the bed of a wagon. They were heading from Steeles Tavern along the pike in the direction of Staunton.  They were taking him to the notorious Western State Lunatic Asylum.  

Some onlookers asked the man where he was going? His reply "To Hell I reckon!".

That phrase... pretty much sums up my life from sometime the first of November right on until after Christmas this year.  Been to Hell and Back.

     

     Beginning of November it became clear to Kenny and I that our son Jared was no longer maintaining his sobriety from drugs but was in relapse.  Another ugly phrase came to mind from an old demotivator.  "Last time I saw you, you had hit rock bottom. I see you have begun to dig.".  The first time I walked in and took a look around the place he was living I knew that was true.   Hell! Trash piled up waist deep on the back deck.

Dark. Dogs.  Cold. Mud. Rain.  Smoke.  Dank.  Get me out of here.  We had a family

pow wow and told Jared he could come home. He needed to come home. We wanted him to come home. We wanted him to get well. We loved him.  Start over. Let's pull together.

The bright note of it all was that we all still loved each other. No bitterness or recriminations. By the day we walked in and found this scene.. he had already been going to a suboxone clinic and trying to get started on getting sober. He was on black tar heroin.  He set about figuring out how to time 

his return home and transferring to the Knoxville clinic. 

         A few weeks later the news that our handsome, funny, smart, sweet -spirited nephew Matt was diagnosed with bone cancer.  Age 16 and facing this.  His father is my husbands baby brother.  Hell!  Pain. Shock. Anguish. Grief.  Tears. Prayer. Lots of prayer and phone calls.  

         A few more weeks and the death of Kenny's step-dad.  Bucky age 90.

Not totally unexpected, but incredibly sad.  Kenny lost his own biological father at age eight due to a tractor accident. Bucky helped finish raising these boys and fathered them and into their midst brought laughter and a little sister with wavy, Cinderella blonde hair and lots of attitude.  Denise was funny and hung in there with those boys.

Pain. Sadness. More tears.  More Hell.

         Christmas approached with me not really caring about it.

So much to cope with in a relatively short span of time.   Jared made it home for Christmas.  Kenny had gone over and gotten his big furniture items.  Jared and I planned to attend Recovery at Maryville Meeting Christmas Night. I'd been going for awhile by myself to try to deal with codependency problems and anxiety and pain.

He showed me his arm on the way there and he had a massive abscess on there.

After the meeting I took him to be admitted at the hospital where he spent the next three days.   He made it home Saturday evening. Kenny picked him up and brought him home.

Pain. more Hell.

         Friday Dec. 27 @ 1300 I was driving to the hospital to visit Jared.

I walked out of the house and said "I don't feel right. Somethings wrong in here" and pointed to my head.  I got a mile from the house and my vision went double like a thunder clap.   I pulled over. I closed one eye and drove home.  I rested. I ate lunch. I was no better so Kenny took me to the doctor.  He sent me to the E.R. where I had a neurological exam., a cardiac workup, and an MRI of my head.  I did a lot of praying.

I had some time to think while I lay there waiting to go in that scanner. The MRI revealed that I had a real bad sinus infection and blockage but no tumors and no stroke.

I went home.  Then Jared was discharged Saturday.

   Sunday morning I woke up with nausea and vomiting. I was dehydrated. I could keep nothing down.  I was growing more miserable by the second.  I asked to go back to the hospital and to be admitted.   I had quit making anymore than a few drops of urine I was so dry.    They kept me and started me on antibiotics, IV fluids, prednisone. They treated me for the symptoms of vertigo and the raging sinus infection. I was having trouble maintaining my body temperature. My respiratory drive became shallow and my cough reflex was faint.  I could swallow. The nausea was improved thanks to a variety of medicines.  I had a scopolamine patch behind my ear to help with the vertigo and nausea.

I could walk but I was like a reeling drunk.  I had some trouble with my speech and my vision was like looking straight into a nightmare.  It was like a crazy kaleidoscope.

     I spent three days in the hospital.  They discharged me and on the way home took me to see an opthalmologist who had no idea what was giving me double vision and vertigo.

He reassured me that "it always goes away".  I was glad to hear that but it did little to

make me feel better physically. The car ride was more Hell. He referred me to a pediatric opthalmologist in Knoxville and urged them to see me quickly.  I was seen later that week.

Jared took me and they were all so kind to me. The car trip there was more and bigger Hell.  I got out of the jeep and burst into tears I was so ill. Just walking was so hard.  He determined that the problem was not with my eyes, but with my brain.  He wanted me seen immediately by Knoxville Neurology Specialists. They are the best neurologists. It can take months to get an appointment and he knew I did not have that long.

He urged me to go to the E.R. at Ft. Sanders and have them keep me and perform an MRI with and without contrast in addition to a bunch of labs and tests.  

     I did not want to go, but I understood this was going to be what fast tracked me to see

these doctors and get me the needed help.  Jared got me settled there.  I told him to go on home as I knew I'd be there all day and possibly be admitted.  I spent the entire day there.

The entire staff at Ft. Sanders was awesome to me.  They knew I was miserable and so sick and scared.  I prayed and I knew God had me. I thought of my nephew bravely enduring all the horrible, difficulties of chemotherapy and the scare he was facing.

I prayed for him and I thought I can do this with God's help.  I just kept my eyes closed and prayed.  I felt the presence of God's Holy Spirit upon me caring for me. Taking away the pain and nausea. Taking away the fear and filling me with peace. I was warm. I was safe.  I was no longer afraid.  I was totally at peace.   God even provided something humorous to laugh at in the form of a patient nearby who was unruly and cursing and fighting.  I could tell it was in the room next door.  Jerry Springer style.... cussin'/wrasslin match.  I could hear those metal mayo stands flipping over.  I just lost it laughing. I was glad I was NOT having to deal with that.

   The second MRI came back normal.

I was grateful for no tumors or lesions and no stroke!  My sinus infection was resolved. 

My labs all looked good.  Kenny came to the hospital that evening and was there when Dr. Wheatly visited me.  He was thinking the diagnosis was myasthenia gravis or ocular myasthenia. He started me on Mestinon which is a medicine to try to help strengthen my eye muscles and clear up the double vision.  The ride home was not bad and I even felt like eating dinner.  He recommended I come in to see his partner in a week or so.

He wanted to see if the medicine helped.   

     My first visit with Dr. Thomas a week later.  I still had double vision.

I still had serious balance problems.  I felt very weird all over.  I learned that day

that all my tendon reflexes were gone.  He had me stop the mestinon since my response to it had not been real impressive. I could not pass a field sobriety test that day. I staggered

wildly trying to walk and could not do it.  I had to be taken to the bathroom by a nurse.

It was dreadful. More Hell. He laid out  four possible diagnoses for me: Ocular myasthenia, a clot in one of my sinus arteries, a stroke, and something called Miller Fisher syndrome.  I had labs run that day for the antibody to Miller Fisher syndrome.  

He planned to have me come back in two weeks.  I was to have an EMG,a lumbar puncture, an MRv and MRa. I was dreading the lumbar puncture. I was thrilled to go off the mestinon since it was griping my belly.

            I read up on Miller Fisher syndrome and learned that it is a rare form of Gullain-Barre syndrome. It is an autoimmune response to an infection.  I'd gotten a flu shot in early September. That was one possible culprit.  I had been treated for mycoplasma in November just before Thanksgiving.  It is another possible culprit as to how I got it.   Mycoplasma is tiny and lives within the white blood cells.. the macrophages.

It is a parasite.  The body produces macrophages to respond to the initial infection and as it delivers helper cells to clear the infection it also delivers more enemies to the body.

I had been treated with antibiotics which killed it, but the damage was done. My own body was killing a certain type of brain cells which affected my balance, my vision, my reflexes and more. 

       I went back a few weeks later to have the EMG done.  The car ride there was not horrible. I no longer had to wear a scopolamine patch. The vertigo was gone. I still had some balance problems, but it was better. I still had double vision,but by wearing one eye patched I was able to function some.  My limbs were tingling and rather numb. Tendon reflexes still gone. I had been noticing a twitch in the neck muscles near my right collar bone.  The EMG showed up "normal". You have to have two abnormalities to consider it an abnormal study.  The one thing that was abnormal generated that same twitch in the right neck/collar bone area.    I prayed to get through that EMG test. It was being electrocuted and poked with needles.  It was concentration camp type stuff. Ugh.
But now I had the diagnosis Miller Fisher syndrome instead of one of the worse problems. It is self limiting. I would make a full recovery in time!  I was pleased and I appreciated the doctor and his staff for their help.

            I was anointed for healing at church prayer meeting.  My family, my pastor Tom Waring and my Rocky Branch Missionary Baptist Church family were wonderful.  God is truly good every day.   The whole ordeal was a journey of growing my faith and trust. The Lord used a child who had been on the wrong track in his life to help care for me. He gave me my son back.  He is healing Jared. He is healing me.  I have come under great conviction that this year I will work on maintaining that sense of deep gratitude toward God for his blessings.  I have put that old anxiety down at the foot of the cross and I will leave it there.  I will work daily on never allowing that old anxiety to ensnare me again.

     My tendon reflexes at returning.  My balance is improving. I no longer have any pain or nausea.  No more vertigo.  My vision is greatly improved.  I only wore the eye patch for an hour yesterday and about an hour today.  It still needs to get better to be 100%, but it is on the way.  I am driving a little now.  I am in the process of trying to figure out  how I can return to work in some capacity.

     Thank each family member, friend, church family, pastor, nurse, doctor, all hospital staff, online friends from Backpacker.com, Facebook, ....... for your love, care, prayers, help.  Thank you Father God for your love, mercy, healing power. For sending the Holy Spirit to wrap me up and carry me and hold me and fill me with peace as I have traveled this path.    I had  planned many things, but this was not among them. I look forward to whatever the Lord has in store for me next.

*edited to add: Other great things that have come out of this is to learn that my nephew Matt is saved! He accepted Christ as his personal savior a few years ago. No matter what happens in this life... his eternal soul is saved. It is my prayer that all my family be saved.
If you have not accepted Christ.. the only prayer he will hear from  you is that sinner's prayer... ask Him to come into your heart?