Health Update
15 October 2008 | Fort Myers, FL
Glenn.

This has been an interesting last few months. Last summer (July/August) I (Glenn) began to lose sight in part of my right eye. It's the weirdest thing, just a dark or empty spot in my vision. Concerned, I went to see an eye doctor to see what could be wrong; she was quite concerned & referred me to a retina specialist (same day) for a complete set of diagnostic tests...boy were they thorough. For a bit, we were thinking I had macular degeneration, until another doctor actually read in detail the reports the retina specialists submitted.
The eye doctor examined me again, on a follow-up began to think more, and referred me to a neurologist. The neurologist sent me for blood tests, MRI, ultrasound and a Visual Evoked Response test. Collecting the data, he told me it seems I had something called Optic Neuropathy. This means an autoimmune condition with demyelination of my optic nerve (kinda like stripping the insulation of my internal wiring....causes shorting out). This is a precursor to Multiple Sclerosis....50/50 chances or better of developing the disease.
The doctor sent me to the hospital every day for a week, to have intravenous steroid, hoping it would help to restore some of the lost vision/repair some of the damage. This was tough...not the being stabbed in the arm so much, but the stuff ruins your sleep for the week and messes up yer stomach. By the end of the week, it felt I was carrying a large, rolling bowling ball in my stomach....nasty! Right at the end of this week, I had to run across Florida, preach at South Beach (Bar District) in Miami then board a ship for the Bahamas and preaching there for a week (fortunately by Tuesday my stomach was back to normal).
We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to deal with this now and into the future!
Glenn.