Monday, May 6, 2013

Odd


     
     It is May and it has been a while since my latest update, just because life has been well. Busy but well! Now “things” have taken an unexpected turn from an unexpected angle, but more about that later.

     My girl is thriving. I have never seen her this energetic and this healthy. School is hard work, but she gets it all done. She has a part time job, for about 3 afternoons a week in a local restaurant and she thoroughly enjoys it. Both working in a nice team and the freedom the extra cash allows her are a welcome addition to her daily life! Then there’s the boyfriend. I can honestly say they are a great pair. They have a lot of fun together, there is a great mutual respect and they treat each other well. He’s a good guy and he fits right in. He is also the first non-family member that has joined us for a visit to the rheumatologist. Was nice for my girl to see how he truly cared about her life, good and bad.


Playing the Wii while waiting for our appointment.


     A visit to the ophthalmologist in March showed everything was clean so no worries there. A visit to the children’s Hospital also went great. She was given the green light to discontinue folic acid and Dyclofenac. She currently is only using Plaquenil and Sulfasalazine daily and Humira bi-weekly. That is quite different from the 14 pills she was on about a year ago. The one concern her Rheumathologist had was that she is still underweight. She could use about another 10 lbs. that would put her in the bottom of the growth chart. She made it to just about 5” (152 cm) and weighs 35kg (77lbs). Yes; being overweight is challenging, but being underweight isn't easy either!  But I’ll take it, she’s quite healthy at the moment so no complaints from this lady!

     Here’s where it gets weird.


     The fingers in this picture are swollen and different from how I know them to be. They look like the fingers of a person with arthritis. The frustrating part is they are not my daughter’s fingers. This is a picture of the hand of my son, the healthy kid. It's not just this hand, his other hand has a couple of swollen knuckles too. I’m concerned and have seen this one too many times to ignore. Soooo….I guess we will go and see the family doc and see if he thinks what I think.  Blegh. I hope I’m wrong but my gut is not sending me good vibes. Will keep you posted about how this development unfolds itself.

     In the mean time I am going to enjoy the lovely weather that has finally come our way, it was a long time coming!