Heading in the right direction!

 Today Sam had her follow up with Cincinnati Children’s Rheumatology. She had bloodwork earlier this week and was pretty nervous. Dr. Schulert was as wonderful as ever and immediately set her (and I) at ease. He said her bloodwork is continuing to trend in the right direction. 

Her Sed Rate is nearly a quarter of where it was in April and her CRP is back to normal!!! Huge win for the inflammation numbers. She is a little anemic, but almost all of her bloodwork had improved. 

He checked her joints and range of motion and said she looked even better than in July. Her knee swelling is completely gone. 

As she danced and sang through the appointment he said he still is in awe that Naproxen has helped her the way it has so far. Seeing the sick shell she was in April, now back to her perfect curve on the growth chart and full of sass and fun. 

Thankfully at this point he is happy with how the current meds are working. Her kidneys are in great shape and she isn’t having any side effects. So we will stay on twice a day naproxen. He had thought about taking her down to once a day, but I brought up the concern of not knowing what caused it and the fear of going backwards. He has been amazing at listening to my concerns and acknowledging Pandas without ever mentioning it. She has an eye appointment in November to make sure the Inflammation isn’t effecting her eyes and if that is all good we can avoid changing to the Arthritis medicine for the next few months. 

He said the type of Juvenile Arthritis she has and the way she is trending she could go into remission at some point by the time she is an adult. 

She will have repeat lab work and an ultrasound in 4 months and visit with Dr. Schulert again. Overall it was a great visit and we are so thankful for her continued health and all she is able to do again. 

She has a few more goals to reach, like getting her leprechaun kick back and getting her speed back. But, this girl has come so far and is so brave! Looking at her lab work trends and seeing how sick she was and knowing how that had effected everything is hard to hear. The memories of what she has been through and continued medicine and appointments are hard on her. I am so proud of her tenacity and her continuing to push herself each day. 

She is o happy this appointment and bloodwork are over! Now on to Soccer tournaments, volleyball and the school Christmas play! So much to look forward to! 

A week and 2 days...

We have made it a week and 2 days without Meech. It is still weird to look around and realize he is not here, but each day it is getting better. The message his Aunt sent me letting me know he was happy was a welcome surprise. Our house has changed so drastically and so quickly without him. Wyatt and I probably took his leaving the hardest- at least outwardly. Anna and TJ are so similar in how they show their emotion. Quietly- in their own time. Wy and I both let it out- crying, yelling, whatever it takes. 

His absence has made Anna and Wy even closer. They have spent most of their time together and seem to appreciate each other even more than before. They have helped one another to grieve and are helping each other go on. They have always been close, but seeing their care for one another through this hard time has been a blessing for me.

The timing of it all has been such a God send. As I sit and wait these final weeks for Sammi to arrive I am so thankful God sent Meech to me for the last year. I am not sure I could have made it through the fears and anxieties of this pregnancy without him as a happy little constant distraction. I didn't plan on doing anything to the nursery until after Sammi was born. But, the room reminded me so much of Meech that I needed it to change. Dad and Tj spent the weekend stripping wallpaper, painting, putting together the crib and hanging pictures. She went from not having a room to having a beautiful nursery. Meech being here helped me to survive this pregnancy, him leaving has helped me get ready for Sammi. The fear of loss makes everything different. I am proud of each little step I have taken to welcome Sammi. Now if she would just make her grand entrance we could put it all to good use.