So, Luke's leg started swelling a little bit over the weekend, so he gave the arthritis clinic a call on Monday to let them know. They asked if he was available Tuesday morning, and they would just go ahead and drain his knee.
On Tuesday he goes in at 10:45AM, while leaving me with our 3 girls, plus I had Kendra and Kaden all day. He was gone for over an hour, but called and said everything went great. They drained his right knee and pulled out over 60ml of water, and they gave him a cortisone shot.
Today, his knees feel like a million bucks! Hopefully this continues, but they said if he has any problems with his left knee, they would drain it too, they just didn't want to do both in case he had a bad reaction, then he wouldn't be able to walk.
Hopefully his medical troubles are behind us now. We've certainly hit our medical deductible for the year already! I'd like to focus on getting things cleaned up from winter.
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so we may head outside for a bit in the evening. We need to survey the damage on our gutters from the snow and ice over the winter. It looks like they have some bent and broken spots. We also have lots of small twigs all over the yard I need to gather up and hopefully burn, in our small firepit that I'm sure is breaking 20 city ordinance laws here in town :)
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Some Good News!!
Yesterday Luke received a phone call from The Arthritis Clinic. They had a cancellation and wondered if he could go in now instead of his appointment on Friday. He took off real quick, seeing as they called him only 18 minutes before the appointment was supposed to start, and we were eating lunch. The verdict...
NO Lupus and NO Rheumotoid Arthritis! Apparently he has some general arthritis in his hands and knees and shoulder, and the X-rays showed some mild arthritis in his lower back. His neck X-rays look great, but he almost always has a stiff neck and not much range of motion there, so he was diagnosed with Spondylarthropathy, which is inflammation of the spine. He was put on Plaquenil to help with the arthritis stuff, but she said it probably won't do much for his neck. She wanted to prescribe Methyltrexate, but she said if there is any chance we may have another kid, he shouldn't take it, as it can have some serious birth defects. The side effects of that drug sound scary enough as it is.
So, he goes back to see her in May to see how he is doing, and if his knees still have some fluid, we will talk about getting them drained then. He should be off blood thinners by then, and the Plaquenil will have had time to take effect.
Overall some good news, now if we can keep it that way!
NO Lupus and NO Rheumotoid Arthritis! Apparently he has some general arthritis in his hands and knees and shoulder, and the X-rays showed some mild arthritis in his lower back. His neck X-rays look great, but he almost always has a stiff neck and not much range of motion there, so he was diagnosed with Spondylarthropathy, which is inflammation of the spine. He was put on Plaquenil to help with the arthritis stuff, but she said it probably won't do much for his neck. She wanted to prescribe Methyltrexate, but she said if there is any chance we may have another kid, he shouldn't take it, as it can have some serious birth defects. The side effects of that drug sound scary enough as it is.
So, he goes back to see her in May to see how he is doing, and if his knees still have some fluid, we will talk about getting them drained then. He should be off blood thinners by then, and the Plaquenil will have had time to take effect.
Overall some good news, now if we can keep it that way!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Meaning of Life
On Monday, Luke had a visit with the rheumotologist to try and diagnose his knee problems. She ordered a ton of blood work, and he is to see her again on March 12th. His ANA test came back positive, which she said "Your Lupus test came back positive." The other blood work ordered corresponds with trying to identify an auto-immune disorder. It's hard not to worry about it until next Friday, but with the research we've done so far, it does sound like he has quite a few symptoms of Lupus, though Lupus does act like a lot of other auto-immune disorders, so it could be something else disguised as Lupus. We won't know until his next appointment. It's hard to imagine for both of us that he may have some kind of a "disease". I guess growing up, you never really plan on being with someone who has problems, or imagine yourself as the one with problems, so it's a little hard to swallow on both of our ends. The important thing is trying to figure out what we can do to keep his symptoms low-key, so he can have the most normal life we can provide, whatever the diagnosis may be.
Life tends to look a little different after something like this happens. We think back, that if he hadn't finally called a doctor, that clot could have killed him. With that in my mind now, I don't feel nearly as stressed about housework, or getting ready for Lexi's birthday party this weekend. There are things I want to get done, no question, but I won't be nearly as upset if they don't get done, because in the end, who wants to remember nothing but house projects and stress. We will both want to remember fun times with the girls, and the laughter and joy we can all bring into this house. So the work will get done when it gets done.
I've had problems lately enjoying being home with the girls. Not many people have this opportunity, and I feel horrible that I don't enjoy it all the time like I think I should. Looking at life with these new set of glasses is slowly teaching me that I will love it more, when I don't stress about the small things.
So excuse the dirty dishes, the pajamas worn all day, and the tangles in the hair. Please excuse the clutter messes, unswept carpet, and toy covered living room. We are a family that is home together all day, every day. We live here, it is our home, and it is full of life and excitement.
Life tends to look a little different after something like this happens. We think back, that if he hadn't finally called a doctor, that clot could have killed him. With that in my mind now, I don't feel nearly as stressed about housework, or getting ready for Lexi's birthday party this weekend. There are things I want to get done, no question, but I won't be nearly as upset if they don't get done, because in the end, who wants to remember nothing but house projects and stress. We will both want to remember fun times with the girls, and the laughter and joy we can all bring into this house. So the work will get done when it gets done.
I've had problems lately enjoying being home with the girls. Not many people have this opportunity, and I feel horrible that I don't enjoy it all the time like I think I should. Looking at life with these new set of glasses is slowly teaching me that I will love it more, when I don't stress about the small things.
So excuse the dirty dishes, the pajamas worn all day, and the tangles in the hair. Please excuse the clutter messes, unswept carpet, and toy covered living room. We are a family that is home together all day, every day. We live here, it is our home, and it is full of life and excitement.
Friday, February 12, 2010
When it rains...it pours!
We have had a long list of things that have gone wrong already this year, but this week has been extremely stressful...
Luke's leg started swelling at the end of last week. Just a little puffy in his lower right leg. He finally decided to call a doctor about it on Tuesday. (He hasn't seen a doctor since 7th grade). He told them what was going on, and they scheduled an appointment for that day at 4:20pm. They then called about 2ish and said they had some cancellations, and to see if he could come in earlier. We rushed outside to clear the twenty feet of snow off of the car and off he went while I stayed home with the girls.
He calls me awhile later and says they are sending him to the big Cleveland Clinic building in town for an ultrasound of his leg, because the doctor thinks there may be a clot. Sure enough, he calls me afterward and says they found a small one above his calf muscle, so he needs to be on blood thinners. The office was calling the prescription in at Rite-Aid, then he has to go back to the office because they have to show him how to use them...because they are NEEDLES!!! I believe at this point in time, he was running on auto-pilot, and nothing was really sinking in. He is scared to death of needles. He gets to the pharmacy and the total bill $628 for 10 shots! The pharmacist asked him if he would like to call the doctor and see if there are other options, and the only other option is to be admitted to the ER and they could do the shots, and since it would be at a hospital, we could get on a payment plan.
He calls me and tells me this, and there is no way I can have him stay at the ER for a few nights, that is just crazy! I tell him we can charge it on a card, and we will worry about it later. Well Rite-Aid didn't have enough to fill the prescription, so they gave him 4 shots, and said the rest will be in tomorrow, so we can pay for it then. He takes it to the office, and they want him to do it himself so they know that he knows how to administer it. He told me he has no idea how he got through that, but he ended up lying down on the doctor's office floor for awhile because he about passed out.
Apparently, he has arthritis in his knees, which is causing fluid to build up in his knees. Well the fluid constricts blood flow to his legs, which caused his leg to swell and the clot to form. So now he has been doing shots twice a day until Sunday morning. I've been giving them to him, because he just can't handle it himself, and I'm not so sure I'm handling it either, but we are managing. He is also on pills that he will be on for 3 months, and he has to go to the lab today to get his levels checked to make sure his blood isn't too thin. He can't take other medications as of right now, so he is stiff and sore beyond belief. The medication makes him tired, and gives him the chills, and now his belly looks like he is a junky with all the poke holes in it. We are getting ready to make a list of questions he can ask the doctor when he goes for his lab work today, so we'll see what the game plan is to get him better, because right now, he is a zombie. Now I know what single mothers feel like with 4 kids!
Luke's leg started swelling at the end of last week. Just a little puffy in his lower right leg. He finally decided to call a doctor about it on Tuesday. (He hasn't seen a doctor since 7th grade). He told them what was going on, and they scheduled an appointment for that day at 4:20pm. They then called about 2ish and said they had some cancellations, and to see if he could come in earlier. We rushed outside to clear the twenty feet of snow off of the car and off he went while I stayed home with the girls.
He calls me awhile later and says they are sending him to the big Cleveland Clinic building in town for an ultrasound of his leg, because the doctor thinks there may be a clot. Sure enough, he calls me afterward and says they found a small one above his calf muscle, so he needs to be on blood thinners. The office was calling the prescription in at Rite-Aid, then he has to go back to the office because they have to show him how to use them...because they are NEEDLES!!! I believe at this point in time, he was running on auto-pilot, and nothing was really sinking in. He is scared to death of needles. He gets to the pharmacy and the total bill $628 for 10 shots! The pharmacist asked him if he would like to call the doctor and see if there are other options, and the only other option is to be admitted to the ER and they could do the shots, and since it would be at a hospital, we could get on a payment plan.
He calls me and tells me this, and there is no way I can have him stay at the ER for a few nights, that is just crazy! I tell him we can charge it on a card, and we will worry about it later. Well Rite-Aid didn't have enough to fill the prescription, so they gave him 4 shots, and said the rest will be in tomorrow, so we can pay for it then. He takes it to the office, and they want him to do it himself so they know that he knows how to administer it. He told me he has no idea how he got through that, but he ended up lying down on the doctor's office floor for awhile because he about passed out.
Apparently, he has arthritis in his knees, which is causing fluid to build up in his knees. Well the fluid constricts blood flow to his legs, which caused his leg to swell and the clot to form. So now he has been doing shots twice a day until Sunday morning. I've been giving them to him, because he just can't handle it himself, and I'm not so sure I'm handling it either, but we are managing. He is also on pills that he will be on for 3 months, and he has to go to the lab today to get his levels checked to make sure his blood isn't too thin. He can't take other medications as of right now, so he is stiff and sore beyond belief. The medication makes him tired, and gives him the chills, and now his belly looks like he is a junky with all the poke holes in it. We are getting ready to make a list of questions he can ask the doctor when he goes for his lab work today, so we'll see what the game plan is to get him better, because right now, he is a zombie. Now I know what single mothers feel like with 4 kids!
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