Drugs and hope: An update

Haya in the hydro pool last week

I thought a med update for Haya would be appropriate, so here goes.

She has been entirely off Keppra for nearly one week. She had been receiving 1,500 mg of it twice/day for several years. 

Her neurologist's instructions were to reduce her dosage by 250 mg. every 2 weeks. She admitted the move was a shot in the dark - just "something to try". But since it's known that epileptics can become inured to drugs after taking them for long periods, I embraced it. 

One less med sounded appealing.

I adhered to the weaning regimen, more or less, at times extending the two weeks by a few days. But I weaned her off the last 250 mg much more slowly. 

First I removed the nighttime 250 mg. and then two weeks later, removed the morning 250 mg.

Whew. It was a huge relief to see no repercussions. 

The last med we weaned her off successfully was cannabis But about two years before that we made an attempt at removing Vimpat. It triggered status epilepticus and a hospitalization.

So for now, Haya is only two anti-epileptics: Fycompa and Vimpat. Quite an achievement!

The new med

Here she is (above, right) having her first hydro session minus Keppra:

And while I'm aware of that birthday promise I made to opt for realism over optimism, I can't help hoping that deleting Keppra will bring some minor improvement. Not fussy about that - any shred of heightened functioning would do us.

Alongside the Keppra weaning we've introduced the new drug that the neurologist recommended to treat her kidney stones. It's Urocit-K and she gets one pill 3 times/day.

If those stones were painful, and I understand they tend to be, then I hope Haya is enjoying some relief already.

We can only hope and guess.

Where does Speaker McCarthy stand on US justice?

US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy
with Jordan's King Abdulla II and Crown Prince Hussein [Image Source]

As U.S. Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, addresses Israel's Knesset today, it would be apt to note whom he visited just prior to that event - King Abdullah of Jordan. 

As is obvious from the photo on the right, to call it a warm encounter is an understatement. It is also very disturbing.

Saturday's get-together came on the heels of a recent meeting the two had in Washington D.C. in January. At that tête-à-tête, McCarty lavished this praise on his buddy:

“From my perspective, our relationship, our friendship and your work to bring peace is just integral to where we go in the Middle East.”

Lest anyone imagine McCarthy challenged Abdullah on either occasion regarding any of his positions, the following press release by Jordan's monarchy left no doubt that did not happen:

McCarthy said, "Jordan is the very first country I chose to visit as Speaker. There’s a reason for that. They are a strategic ally in the Middle East and share America’s commitment to peace, prosperity — and most importantly — stability in the region." [Times of Israel, April 30, 2023]

Apparently McCarthy is not at all troubled by Jordan's harboring of a self-confessed Hamas terrorist who also happens to be a fugitive from the U.S. Dept of Justice. She is none other than Ahlam Tamimi, who murdered 15 men, women and children in the Jerusalem Sbarro bombing of 2001 which she orchestrated. Among the innocent victims was my child, Malki.

McCarthy's "love affair" with Abdullah is unfazed by that ruler's refusal to accede to the U.S. demand for her extradition and for justice to be done. It was made in 2017 under the 1995 treaty which Abdullah's father King Hussein enthusiastically signed, ratified and publicized.

Speaker McCarthy, tell us please: How does that reflect that Abdullah "share[s] America's commitment to peace, prosperity - and most importantly -stability in the region."

It is high time McCarthy made his devotion to Abdullah contingent on handing over Tamimi to the U.S. to stand trial for her murder of two U.S. citizens - one of them, Malki.

Because, really, justice absolutely ought to be "integral to where we go in the Middle East".